Star Wars The Return of the Empire (Following The Last Command)
by good endings
Summary: Following the events of Star Wars: The Last Command by Timothy Zahn. Thrawn has been killed by Rukh. What happens now? Also, I am planning to try and write a nice long book.
1. Chapter 1

**Please Note that this chapter is a Part of the end of the book The Last Command By Timothy Zahn. I do not own any charecters represented here, those belong to the Star Wars Franchise. Please Comment if you think anything should be improved or if you like it so far.**

The two Rebel Assault Frigates broke to either side of the beleaguered Golan II, delivering massive broadsides as they veered off. A section of the battle station flared and went dark, and against its darkened bulk another wave of Rebel starfighters could be seen slipping past into the shipyards beyond.

And Pellaeon was no longer smiling.

"Don't panic, Captain," Thrawn said. But he, too, was starting to sound grim. "We're not defeated yet. Not by a long shot."

Pellaeon's board pinged. He looked at it— "Sir, we have a priority message coming in from Wayland," he told Thrawn, his stomach twisting with a sudden horrible premonition. Wayland—the cloning facility—

"Read it, Captain," Thrawn said, his voice deadly quiet.

"Decrypt is coming in now, sir," Pellaeon said, tapping the board impatiently as the message slowly began to come up. It was exactly as he'd feared. "The mountain is under attack, sir," he told Thrawn. "Two different forces of natives, plus some Rebel saboteurs—" He broke off, frowning in disbelief. "And a group of Noghri—"

He never got to read any more of the report. Abruptly, a gray-skinned hand slashed out of nowhere, catching him across the throat.

He gagged, falling limply in his chair, his whole body instantly paralyzed. "For the treachery of the Empire against the Noghri people," Rukh's voice said quietly from beside him as he gasped for breath. "We were betrayed. We have been avenged."

There was a whisper of movement, and he was gone. Still gasping, struggling against the inertia of his stunned muscles, Pellaeon fought to get a hand up to his command board. With one final effort, he made it, trying twice before he was able to hit the emergency alert.

And as the wailing of the alarm cut through the noise of a Star Destroyer at battle, he finally managed to turn his head.

Thrawn was sitting upright in his chair, his face strangely calm. In the middle of his chest, a dark red stain was spreading across the spotless white of his Grand Admiral's uniform. Glittering in the center of the stain was the tip of Rukh's assassin's knife.

Thrawn caught his eye; and to Pellaeon's astonishment, the Grand Admiral smiled. "But," he whispered, "it was so artistically done." The smile faded. The glow in his eyes did likewise... and Thrawn, the last Grand Admiral, was gone.

"Captain Pellaeon?" the comm officer called urgently as the medic team arrived—too late—to the Grand Admiral's chair. "The Nemesis and Stormhawk are requesting orders. What shall I tell them?"

Pellaeon looked up at the viewports. At the chaos that had erupted behind the defenses of the supposedly secure shipyards; at the unexpected need to split his forces to its defense; at the Rebel fleet taking full advantage of the diversion. In the blink of an eye, the universe had suddenly turned against them.

Thrawn could still have pulled an Imperial victory out of it. But he, Pellaeon, was not Thrawn.

"Signal to all ships," he rasped. The words ached in his throat, in a way that had nothing to do with the throbbing pain of Rukh's treacherous attack. "Prepare to retreat."


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: I do not own star wars or any of its characters, those belong to Disney. If you like please comment, and if not, please tell me what I can improve.**

The Star Destroyer the _Chimaera_ Gracefully Dropped out of hyperspace, silently gliding like a knife through the night of space, illuminated only by the various lights aboard the ship, each one casting long shadows over her hull. From a distance, and to the casual observer, the _Chimaera_ looked a perfect grey, still in parade-ground shape. Upon any further inspection however, the true state of the ship was revealed. Several lights uncontrollably flickered on and off, and darkened burn areas dotted the ship, something that could only have been brought on the _Chimaera_ in a large battle.

The usual quiet hum aboard the working bridge of the Star Destroyer had morphed into a loud buzz, with several officers hurrying through the crew pits below the main walkway. Pellaeon knew from experience that such organized chaos was to be expected after a large battle. He had seen it before, may times. Men rushed around him, as the muted alarm klaxons continued to sound. Looking up from his datapad, he picked an officer out from the crowd and pulled him aside. The man briskly nodded. "Lieutenant Commander," Pellaeon said, acknowledging the officer. "Damage report?"

"Of course, Captain," The Lieutenant responded, taking a deep breath. "We have three minor hull punctures in sectors three, five, and twelve of the ship, near flight and launch control. However, all the bulkheads in the damaged areas have been sealed off. The shields have already begun the regenerating process, and a few moments ago I was given the order to begin recycling the cannons." The Lieutenant glanced up at Pellaeon for a quick second to gauge his mood. "The main reactor has been damaged slightly, but a team has already been sent to restore it to working order."

"Very good, Commander," Pellaeon said slowly, processing the information. "Be sure that the team you sent is fast; we don't want to be stuck here for long. Until its total reparation, limit power usage. We don't want any unexpected explosions." Pellaeon paused to give one final nod. "Dismissed."

After dutifully logging his orders into his datapad, the Senior Commander looked back up at Pellaeon. With a curt inclination of his head, he rushed back out into the crowd of uniforms.

Yes, it was certainly a chaotic scene, Pellaeon reasoned, but there was a depression that hung in the air, consuming the ship. A mood that he knew that was not to be expected after a large battle. The crew rushed about with their heads hung, and their limbs limp. He shook his head. Already the news of Thrawn's death had leaked out, and the effects were starting to show. Pellaeon grimaced slightly. Despite his own reluctance to admit it, the man that they were all prepared to fight and die for, perhaps the greatest military mind in the Empire, was gone. Again.

Strolling down the command walkway, Pellaeon took one last look across the bridge, and proceeded towards the security foyer, and the turbolifts. He stepped inside, keying in his destination. Thrawn had always seemed to him to be someone who prepared for every possibility, every eventuality of a given scenario. A slight shiver ran up his back. If somehow, the Grand Admiral had anticipated his own death, and likewise adequately prepared for it, he may have left something behind for Pellaeon. Instructions perhaps. Anything.

That, or Pellaeon was just jumping at Gundark shadows.

He assumed it was the latter.

The door to the Turbolift slid open with a hiss, and Pellaeon stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. He proceeded forwards. If somehow Thrawn had prepared and expected his death to come, then how come he had not avoided it? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Despite the Grand Admiral's immense intelligence, he had been unable to predict Rukh's treachery, and was hardly omniscient.

Turning, Pellaeon stopped at a door. The very same door that had at one point led to the former Commander's luxury entertainment suite.

The suite that had been converted into what essentially served as a second bridge. The one that had once been occupied by Grand Admiral Thrawn. The door slid open in front of him, and with an almost imperceptible gulp, Pellaeon headed in.

He entered into the dimly lit entry room and glanced around. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as Pellaeon instinctively prepared for Rukh's usual inspection. Nothing came, and with a breath, Pellaeon headed towards the door ahead that led to the main chamber.

It opened, and Pellaeon sucked in a small breath. A soft glow of light still illuminated the room, and the chair still sat in the middle of the chamber, unoccupied. The double repeater rings still projected various pieces of artwork onto the floor of the room.

The room was, in all practice, exactly the same as it had been before Thrawn's death. Pellaeon gazed at the unoccupied chair. It was almost as though the chamber was still expecting its master's arrival.

Pellaeon stepped forwards.

The cleaning crew had been fast and efficient. The body was gone, and there was no trace of blood. Squinting, He bent down for a closer look at the chair. Perfectly clean. After studying it for a bit of time, Pellaeon rose from his crouch, dusting off his shoulders. The crew certainly deserved commendations for their speed. Taking one last look around the room, and allowing his remorse sweep though him one last time, Pellaeon turned and left the chambers, the door sealing shut once again behind him.

Heading once again towards the turbolifts, Pellaeon considered the facts. He had found nothing of interest in the room, though he had not done a thorough inspection of the Grand Admirals computer. He made a mental note to tell the crypt duty officer to do so in the future.

Pellaeon arrived at the turbolift, and keyed in the medbay. Perhaps a more thorough examination of Thrawn's body would reveal something.

He arrived at the medbay, large and extensive for the Star Destroyer. He turned towards the duty officers medbay, walking past door after door, looking specifically for the one that contained what was left of the Grand Admiral. It was possible he had some notes, a journal maybe, for his plan for the Empire- or what was left of it. He never carried that type of thing, and Pellaeon never saw him with anything like it, but he thought that it might have been a good idea to check.

He stepped up to a matt sliding glass door, and it emitted an electronic voice.

"Identification please."

"Captain Gilad Pellaeon." He responded, waiting for the door to open.

"Unauthorized." The voice responded, emotionless.

Hissing softly between his teeth Pellaeon spoke again. "Override, clearance code 39B-A6." He raised an eyebrow at the fact that the door had refused to open. Perhaps a glitch in the system. The Chimaera was, after all, currently undergoing repairs. It was possible that this was a symptom of the damage done to the main reactor.

"Unauthorized." The voice replied again, its electronic lack of emotion sending a small shiver up Pellaeon's spine. There was only one person with higher authority in the Empire than him. He grimaced. Now that Thrawn died, he reminded himself, he actually possessed the highest code clearance in the Empire. Which is why it made no sense that this door refused to open for him.

"On whose command?" Pellaeon asked, his frown deepening.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn," The voice coolly responded.

Pellaeon sucked in a breath, surprised. Slowly he exhaled, and regained his composure.

"That's impossible." He muttered under his breath. The Grand Admiral must have created an order that, in the event of his death, prevented anyone from seeing his body. Pellaeon gulped. Either that, or somehow, somewhere, Thrawn was still alive.

He shook his head. That was impossible. He had seen Thrawn die himself, had watched as the light drained from his eyes.

Clearing his mind once more, Pellaeon cautiously turned, eyeing the door for as long as possible until he walked off, gathering speed, headed back towards the bridge.

He arrived, his eyes reflexively scanning the crew pits. The action had calmed down noticeably, and only a few men strode purposely by. The reparation reports were displayed on the holotable across from the communications consoles, and progress was coming along well. Many parts of the ship that were previously highlighted in red were now orange, or even green. Moving down the main walkway, Pellaeon folded his hands at the small of his back, and stared out at the stars, wondering how in space the Empire had been whittled down to this point.

The sound of footsteps brought him out of his thoughts. Pellaeon turned, and with a smart nod the Commander stopped his march, waiting for his approval to speak. Pellaeon waved his hand. "Yes, Commander?"

The man relaxed- only slightly. "Well Sir, a few moments ago, the Comscan duty officer encountered a strange signal, and I thought I should inform you."

"Very well Commander," Pellaeon replied, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Inform me."

Glancing down, the Senior Commander typed on his holopad. "Well sir, a few moments ago we started picking up a series of electromagnetic waves echoing through empty space."

Pellaeon frowned. Those types of waves could be coming from almost anything. A collapsing star, transmissions gone wild, still in the process of decomposition, almost anything. The _Chimaera_ encountered strange radio frequencies all the time. His frown deepened. In fact, part of the Comscan division's job was to eliminate all this background noise. "Alright, Commander," he asked. "What makes these waves so special?"

"Well sir," the Senior Commander began. "Somehow these transmissions are running on a high Imperial code. If someone is sending these, it is someone who has, or had, a high position in the Empire."

Not the Empire anymore, Pellaeon thought to himself, as an old trace of bitterness flowed through him. Just a hollow shell of what was.

"Very well Commander." Pellaeon said, as the man handed the datapad to Pellaeon for him to study. "From where do these signals originate?" The man gulped.

"Well sir, I had navigation run a scan for us, and it appears that these waves are coming from a planet already programmed in the nav computer. The planet's designation is Csilla. Located in the unknown regions, sir."

Pellaeon stopped short and looked up at the man, rising to his full height. Csilla. Home of the Chiss, and the homeworld of Thrawn.

"Very good." He responded. "Thank you, Commander. Send the transmissions to the intelligence division and see if they can get anything from them. If not, you have my authorization to give these frequencies to the ISB. Tell them I want the signals taken apart piece by piece." He nodded. "I want this to be our main priority." Pellaeon paused in thought. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me."

The man lingered for a moment.

"Is there anything else Commander?" Pellaeon asked, frowning.

"Yes sir," the man said. "The _Judicator_ reports the loss of the Recee system to rebel forces."

With an effort, Pellaeon nodded. "Very well. Thank you, Commander. Dismissed."

The Senior Commander nodded again, and with a proper military turn strode off. With his eyes still lingering on the young man, Pellaeon turned and left the bridge.

As soon as he got to his quarters, he pulled up the data file on Csilla. Very little was known about the planet, and there were only rough, outdated, and nearly always inaccurate charts and maps of the system.

With an effort, he pulled himself away from the file and looked out the viewport into the darkness of space, pierced by the occasional bright needle of light from distant stars.

With a sigh, Pellaeon made up his mind. He pressed in intercomn on his desk. "This is Pellaeon. Inform the helmsman that he is to immediately begin plotting a course to the planet Csilla. The nav computer has its location."

"Yes sir," the man responded, and Pellaeon turned once again to look at the stars to ponder just exactly what those pings could mean.

* * *

[AB1]Change this


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes: I don't own any of these characters, nor pretty much anything I write about; they all belong to Disney/ Lucasfilm. also, if you enjoy comment, and if you have ideas for improvements, comment too. one final note, I work to finish a chapter quickly, then run a quick spell check, then publish it, so there may be some spelling errors. if you see any, please tell me and I will fix them.**

"Please, everyone," Mon Mothma called over the muted hum of noise that had managed to develop in the room. "I hereby declare this emergency meeting in session."

With that, all the conversations in the room came to a standstill as the beings seated around the table silenced, and turned towards Mon Mothma, eager to hear why this meeting had been called. Leia, no exception, was also slightly intrigued to see just what this meeting was about.

Probably some political squabble, on some minor planet, one that thought they were more important than they really were. Leia carefully glanced to her left, trying to not allow the contempt show on her face. Whatever the situation, there was no doubt that Borsk Fey'lya would somehow find a way to play it to his political advantage.

Mon Mothma swept her solemn gaze over the various beings present. "It has recently come to my attention," she began slowly, "That our intelligence division has discovered a heavily coded imperial signal endlessly echoing through space."

Leia leaned forwards. This had suddenly gotten interesting. These types of meetings were generally called to discuss political unrest somewhere, and with the Empire once again shrinking after their decisive battle at Bilbringi, and the subsequent death of Thrawn, she hadn't expected to hear any news about major imperial activities for some time.

Mon Mothma continued. "It took our cryptology division several hours to decode the signal."

Mon mothma turned slightly to her left, gesturing to the man seated next to her. Leia glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. Ghent was here? This must have been more important than she previously thought.

"I now present to you all, Ghent, our chief of cryptology."

With a slightly bewildered look on his face, Ghent looked up from the datapad he was studying. Finally, he spoke, his generally quiet voice amplified through the audio modulators located around the room. "Yes, yes. As Mon Mothma said, we recently intercepted-" He trailed off, his eyes defocusing as he stared into space, as though searching for the right word. Suddenly his eyes refocused and he continued his sentence. "We intercepted a series of pings echoing through space."

Fey'lya's cream colored fur rippled slightly as he spoke. "I'm sorry, but I need to clarify. What exactly do you mean by _pings_?"

Ghent nodded. "Just that. Small blips of noise echoing out at perfect five-minute intervals." he brought up a single finger. "What makes them so interesting is their encryption. They were using imperial codes only accessible to the highest-ranking members of the fleet."

Ghent paused, as if to catch his breath. "what also makes them so interesting is their place of origin." He paused again. "Or planet of origin, I believe. These radio waves are coming from a planet in the unknown regions." He glanced at Mon mothma, as though to say: _I'm done here._

Fey'lya interrupted again. "So, if I am to understand correctly, _someone_ is sending these pings?"

Ghent nodded.

Mon Mothma rose, glancing once more at Ghent. She spoke again, her voice amplified by the audio modulators. "Thank you, Ghent." He dropped back into his seat, already engrossed in his datapad, once more oblivious to what was happening around him. Mon Mothma turned back towards the councilors. "After some searching, we were able to discover one more thing about these signals." She paused, taking a deep breath. "We discovered that they are coming from the same system as the one where the Old Republic Outbound Flight Project last reported in. More precisely, we have found that these signals are coming from the planet Csilla, home planet of the Chiss."

Mon Mothma let this sink in, and it was followed by a solemn silence.

A few seconds later Admiral Ackbar spoke, his voice also magnified by the audio modulators. "If this information is true, I move to immediately send a task force to the Csillan system to learn the true nature of these signals." He paused. "As I am sure you all know, this planet, or more precisely, its population have been a great trouble to the Republic." He paused again, now speaking slowly and deliberately. "We _cannot_ have a repeat of the Grand Admiral Thrawn incident."

Ackbar let his name hang in silence before anyone else spoke.

Leia looked towards her left just in time to see Borsk Fey'lya's fur give off another ripple. He gave a polite cough and spoke.

"Admiral Ackbar speaks of another Thrawn incident." He began. Fey'lya then turned to Mon Mothma. "Now, Chief of state, would you kindly remind us of the status of the _former_ Grand Admiral?"

Mon Mothma sighed, a slightly displeased look flashing over her face. "Both the preliminary and full investigations found that the Grand Admiral was killed during the battle of Bilbringi."

Fely'yla turned back towards the senators and officers, his violet eyes wide, with a hardly hidden pleased expression displayed on his face. "Mon Mothma then proves for me, that there will not be another Thrawn _incident_. I thus urge all senators to not send the army to Csilla. It will be a waste of our resources going after nothing."

Leia nodded. She and Fey'lya had their share of political differences before, but she agreed with him on this. Getting a team to the planet would be a task of itself, with the lack of safe mapping, and the constantly shifting celestial bodies. There was no guarantee they would even be able to arrive at Csilla, let alone discover what these strange transmissions meant.

"That's enough." Mon Mothma said, her voice washing over them. "We will vote as to what action we should proceed with."

Leia looked down at the console in front of her. When the choice appeared, she promptly voted to not send a team to the planet. Looking up, she saw the numerous councilors around her also cast their votes. She gritted her teeth.

After a few moments, when everyone had voted, Mon Mothma gave the results. "Very well. It has been decided. We shall send a task force to the Csillan system to find out what these coded Imperial signals mean." She slowly glanced around the room. "Do we have any volunteers to lead this team?"

To her mild surprise, Leia saw Admiral Drayson raise a hand. "I would be honored, Chief of State, to lead this mission."

Mon Mothma nodded. "It has been decided then. Admiral Drayson shall proceed to Csilla to uncover the nature of these signals." She gestured at him. "Admiral, I leave it to you to assemble you team."

Drayson rose from his chair. "Of course. I shall be on my way as soon as possible."

"Excellent." Mon Mothma replied. "This meeting is now adjourned."

With that, Leia too rose from her seat. "Oh dear," Threepio said behind her. "I have quite a bad feeling about this."

Leia cast a glance at Threepio standing behind her. "I've got to agree with you Threepio." She sighed. "Now let's get going. We don't want to linger, and I want to see what Han's up too."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes: I don't own Star Wars or any of its characters. They all belong to Disney/ Lucasfilm.**

 **enjoy.**

Halfway across the galaxy, Han solo took a slow sip of his drink, a nice correlian whisky, and wondered what in space he was doing here. It seemed like these days he never got to see Leia, and instead was always tying up one loose end or another on behalf of the Rebellion. He shook his head. On behalf of the New Republic, he corrected himself.

Today was no different.

He gave his whisky a swirl, watching the liquid when Chewbacca grunted something towards Han, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked.

Chewbacca repeated his previous comment, this time giving a small nod to a figure who just entered the cantina.

Han took another slow sip of his drink, eyeing the figure. He lowered his glass to the table, and half-turned to look at Chewbacca.

"Yea Chewie, I agree." He said slowly, eyeing the man at the other end of the bar. "I'd say that's our guy." He paused. "Remember the signal?"

Chewbacca grunted something sarcastic sounding.

"Yea yea, I'm ready if you are," Han replied, his eyes still on the figure who had decided to seat himself at the bar. He glanced at Chewbacca through the corner of his eye. "You ready to make a scene?"

Chewbacca's response was a loud bellow as he jumped out of the booth, and jabbed a finger at Han. Han too rose out of his seat, a surprised expression displayed on his face.

"Hey calm down!" he shouted back at the angry wookiee. "I didn't do anything!" Han looked out of the corner of his eye at their mysterious figure, who just like every other person in the bar had spun around to look at the scene that was unfolding. Except for he wasn't just a casual observer like everyone else. He was squinting, watching their every move.

"If you got a problem, why don't you come over here, and we can take it to the authorities!" Han shouted once more at Chewbacca, his right hand fingering the blaster strapped to his leg. If Han ever decided to leave the Republic, at least he knew he could always become an actor.

Chewbacca was just gearing up for another loud growl when the figure detached himself from the bar and made his way through the crowd over to them. "You might wanna watch it pal." He said.

Han nodded. Good. The figure had delivered the first part of the dialogue. "Why's that?" he asked.

The man placed his hands firmly on the only chair at their table. "Because," he began, "I hear wookiees are known to pull peoples arms out of their sockets when they get angry." The figure slowly lowered himself into the chair. "You might wanna watch yourself, if you get what I mean."

Han nodded. It was him alright. He casually lowered himself into the booth, and chewie did likewise. "Alright," he said in a hushed tone as he dropped the act. "What news have you got for us?"

The figure nodded. "This time I defiantly got some news for you." The man lowered his voice even further and quickly glanced around him before speaking again. "I hear that there's somethin' growing in the unknown regions." He paused. "Some sort of a private army, if you know what I mean." Han leaned back and took a sip from his whisky. "I hear its been growing for some time now." The man paused again, as if thinking. "I believe they're led by a man called Van Useso. Yea that's it. Van Useso. They're planning something." He paused. "Somethin' big."

Han nodded slowly. "Useso huh? Don't know the name." beside him Chewbacca growled a soft question.

"Yea," Han said. "I agree with Chewie. Are they allied with the Empire?"

The man shook his head. "No. Useso's group has no allegiance. They fight, cause destruction, and conquer all, Empire or Republic." The man leaned back, having given all the information he knew.

Han shook his head, a smile playing out across his face. "Probably just another small smuggler group or someone else who got a taste of power and now wants more. I doubt these guys are a threat to the Republic." The man seemed surprised by Han's casual dismissal, and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off. "now, if you've got any information on the Empire, or its movements, that would be something that I want to hear."

The man shrugged. "Naw not much. Since Bilbringi, the Empire's kinda been on the down low." He slowly rose from his chair. "That's all I got for you now. Ill check in with you Republic boys when I get something else." With a small wave of his hand, the figure walked into the crowd of people, and out of the cantina.

Han took another sip of his whisky. Good, he decided, but not as good as the ones back home. He glanced at Chewbacca. "well, what do you think?

The Wookiee shrugged and growled softly.

"Yea I agree Chewie. He was probably just jumping at the shadows with that whole Useso thing." Han was already pulling some coins out of his pocket, and beginning to rise from the booth, when he spotted something. Something or someone. Someone who, to him, looked very much like he was trying to avoid being detected.

"Chewie." Han nudged him, sliding back into the booth, not taking his eyes off the strange figure at the bar. "That guy look at all suspicious to you?"

Chewbacca nodded, and growled again, this time his voice taking on an edge. "Yea I agree." Han replied. "He does look kind of familiar." Han took one final sip of the whisky, downing the drink. "And anyone we know who just shows up in the same cantina as us, while desperately trying to keep secret means bad news."

Chewbacca growled softly beside Han.

"I know I know." Han responded, averting his eyes. "you're probably right. We should stop staring at him if we don't want to be noticed."

Han slowly removed his blaster from its holster. "I say we deal with him all nice and quiet like, out back where no one might notice."

Chewbacca growled in agreement, and he dropped a few coins on the table. They both rose from the booth, and Han made his way through the crowd towards the figure. The man had just taken the final sip of his drink and had stood up when Han got to him.

Pushing his DL-44 blaster into the figure's back, Han whispered into his ear. "No sudden moves now, we don't want trouble." He gestured to Chewbacca. "You're just gonna follow my Wookiee friend right over there. Yea that's it. Easy now."

The man carefully followed Chewbacca out the cantina, with Han right behind him, the blaster still roughly pushed into his back.

As soon as they had made it into a narrow poorly lit street, Han pushed him forwards. "Alright pal," he said, his blaster still trained on the figure. "Hands on your head, turn around slowly." Han paused. "And while you're at it why don't you tell us what you were doing in that cantina."

Facing the wall opposite them, the man slowly raised his hands, and placed them firmly on his head. Then, he carefully turned towards them. As soon as Han saw the man's face, he lowered his blaster. "Aves?" he asked surprised.

The man dropped his hands to his sides. "Yea solo." He said, a small smile creeping onto his face. "I thought I recognized that voice. Just glad to know it was someone on my side for once."

Chewbacca growled a question. "Yea." Han agreed. "Chewie's right. We aren't really on the same side according to your boss." He raised an eyebrow. "Unless something has changed that I haven't heard about."

Aves shrugged. "No not really, but you get what I mean."

Han nodded. "Well my previous question still stands. What were you doing at the cantina?"

Aves shrugged again. "Same thing as you I imagine. Gathering information."

Han nodded again, holstering his blaster. "Speaking of info, I don't suppose you would know anything about the Empire that you would be happy telling us?"

Aves shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face. "Sorry. Maybe next time Solo" With that, he turned and began to walk down the small street to a large road.

Han brought a hand up to his mouth. "Well, tell your boss that the offer to join the Republic still stands!"

Aves half turned towards them as he walked. "Will do Solo!" he called back, and with that, Aves reached a large road and disappeared, merging with the large crowd of people.

Chewbacca rumbled a question as Han tore his eyes away from the road.

"No, I didn't really think he would have told us anything." Han shrugged. "But it was worth a try, wasn't it?" He slowly made his way down the street towards the landing pads at the other end of the city. "Well, we might as well get to the Falcon."

Chewbacca growled a comment. "Yea," Han said quietly, agreeing with him. "It really is a small galaxy."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Notes: Sorry I took a little while getting this chapter out there, but I should be writing a lot more often now. I don't own any of these characters, they all belong to Lucasfilm and Disney.**

"Luke!" he heard the call, even louder this time, and quickly jolted awake, with a shout, hitting his head on a sharp object, his hand instinctively moving towards his lightsaber at his belt.

It took a few seconds for him to realize that he had just had been in a dream, or a vision of some sort. Yes. A vision, he thought. Perhaps a vision from the Force.

It took even longer for his eyes to adapt to the extreme brightness, but as they did, he tried to make sense of his surroundings, sweeping his eyes around. He could see large trees growing out of the dirt, with thick branched extended above him, creating a canopy of sorts. They were clearly in a forest.

As he looked around, the events of the previous day came to him. Luke remembered going to the planet Eythyr as a peaceful delegation from the new republic, then getting ambushed by the Eythiri.

Luke looked over to where the call came from, and saw Mara standing at his feet with her lightsaber drawn, facing off against several small hooded people. probably the Eythiri Luke guessed. He sighed. Apparently, they didn't like Jedi very much.

"Come on Skywalker!" she called at him, turning her head slightly. "Wake up!"

He jumped up and pulled out his lightsaber, igniting it with a _snap-hiss_ , moving slowly to stand with his back to Mara.

"What exactly happened?" he asked as the cloaked figures pointed sharp spears at them, forcing them backward.

"Well, it appears that our friends over here," she said gesturing to the Eythiri, "Have found us after our little stunt yesterday." Luke remembered fighting their way out of the Main Hall and Grimaced. Not very diplomatic.

They both brought their lightsabers up to their faces tightly in an en garde position as the Eythiri prepared to attack.

It came quickly, in an attempt to catch Mara and Luke by surprise. One in the front of the pack jabbed forwards, and then swiftly crouched. Another warrior ran up and jumped off his comrades back, sailing in the air to the Jedi, brandishing his spear expertly.

As he flew through the air, his face quickly turned to an expression of surprise as he suddenly was thrown by the invisible grip of the force like a ragdoll, landing in a pile of nearby bushes, with the sound of breaking branches.

With a ferocious scream, the Eythiri attacked, rushing forwards, brandishing their deadly looking spears with a precision that was only achieved from lots of practice and experience.

Luke quickly glanced at Mara, almost sending a telepathic signal, as they both crouched, and then jumped, soaring over the crowd of enemies, their muscles amplified tenfold by the force.

Luke hit the ground in a roll, deactivated his Lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, and broke off in a swift run towards the landing pad. As a Jedi, combat was always supposed to be the last option, and he was only supposed to take another's life only when necessary. Fleeing was a much better option.

He turned his head towards Mara who was running next to him. "Get ready to leave quickly." He called over their pounding footsteps. He could already feel the Eythiri following them through the force, their minds angry.

Soon they arrived at the shipyard. Luke ran directly towards his X-Wing, its cockpit already opening. He smiled. Artoo might be sarcastic at times, but he got the job done. As soon as he was close enough, he jumped into his cockpit, looking over at Mara to see her quickly hop into her Skipray.

He gave the Etheric rudder a few nudges to warm up the ship, unsurprised to find that everything was already on and ready to go.

"Nice job Artoo. You kept the ship perfectly ready. Now are you ready for a quick escape?" he said as he strapped himself in, the Eythiri already nearing his ship. Artoo responded with a series of quick jabs and twitters, the translation appearing on his computer scope.

He slowly brought the ship off the landing pad, and then slammed down on the Etheric rudder, sending his ship screaming forwards over the Eythiri, into the darkness of space with Mara hot on his tail.

"Her Artoo?" Luke called to the droid. "Dial back the internal compensator to ninety-five." Artoo responded with a beep, and Luke felt himself sink into his seat. He pressed his intercom.

"Well Mara, I do think that we survived that rather well."

"Yea no kidding Skywalker." She responded. "but I think that we could have taken those guys." Luke sighed. When would she understand that sometimes it was better to not fight? It was a lesson that he had taken some time to learn, but it was an important one.

"Well either way," He responded. "I don't think that Eythyr will be joining the new republic anytime soon." And with that, he clicked off his intercom.

"Artoo?" he called. "have you run the navigations for Coruscant?" Artoo responded with an affirmative beep. Luke reached for the hyperspace lever, and the stars turned into starlines. Luke settled in for the long trip.

Artoo beeped to Luke, the translation appearing on his scope.

"What Artoo? Leia wants me to go on another trip with her?" Luke asked, looking back at Artoo. He beeped an affirmative. "Did she say what for?" Luke asked slowly, his eyebrow raising. Artoo beeped a negative.

As their conversation died down, Lukes thoughts drifted to the dream he had about Mara. The dream had greatly disturbed him. It was no doubt a vision from the force, but its meaning was still unclear to Luke. He closed his eyes and began to meditate on its meaning, opening himself up to the Force.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes: Enjoy this chapter, and comment if you enjoy, see any errors, or anything that could be improved. I don't own any of the characters or places, they all belong to Lucasfilm and Disney.**

"Yea Chewie, I would agree." Han said slowly, eyeing the man at the other end of the bar. "I'd say that's our guy." He turned to look at Karrde, sitting next to them.

"I think Chewie's right Solo. Easy now though. We don't want to spook him." He paused, taking a sip of his drink. "Let's wait for him to leave and follow him then."

Han took a sip from his drink, a nice Corellian whiskey, and gave it a stir. Not as good as the ones from home, but this was a nice brew. "So what exactly does this guy know Karrde?" Han asked, not taking his eyes off their man.

"Well Solo," Karrde responded. "Nothing for sure. However, I strongly believe that he has some friends in high places in the empire-if you know what I mean."

Chewbacca growled softly beside Han.

"I know I know." Han responded. "you're probably right. We should stop staring at him if we don't want to be noticed."

Karrde tapped him on the shoulder. "If you're done arguing, I believe that our man has finally decided to leave." He said, pointing to their contact as he left the bar.

Han downed the rest of his drink and stood up with Karrde and Chewbacca. "let's get going gentlemen. We don't want to miss him."

They quickly strode out the door of the bar, and into the crowd outside that seemed to be always present at Ord Mantell. The smoke and pollution hung in the sky, weighing down the thick air. Junk lined the roads, but the industrial planet seemed to be home to many people. Either that, or everyone was just stopping by.

Karrde pointed to a man in the crown. He was wearing a strange hat. "there. That's him there." Han was already on the move, tailing the man through the crowd.

Their man bumped shoulders and kicked garbage, but didn't stop walking. As they reached the outskirts of the city, streetlights became few, and darkness ate at the edges of the street. A welcome darkness for Han. He liked darkness- when he was following someone, not when he was being followed.

Han leaned towards Karrde. "when exactly are we gonna get this guy? He just keeps going." Karrde shrugged.

Suddenly the man picked up his pace, his steps becoming faster and longer. Han threw a worried glance at Karrde.

"Do you think he saw us?" Karrde asked. Han just shrugged, but kept to the sides of the street, increasing his pace as well.

The man glanced at his watch on his arm, and suddenly his quick pace turned into a run. Karrde swore under his breath, and they all began to run as well.

"Don't worry Karrde. I saw him check his watch." Han said quietly. "He's just late for some meeting or something." Han paused. "Plus, there's no way that he could have seen us. He didn't even turn his head."

Karrde didn't look convinced. "I saw that too Solo." He looked at Han. "The only problem with your logic is, the man's not wearing any watch."

Chewbacca interrupted with a quiet growl.

"He's gone." Han said, beginning to get worried. "where'd he go?"

"I think I saw him go down that alleyway." Karrde said, pointing at a dark road, one that had probably not seen the sun for some time.

Han swore under his breath, and abandoning any hope to be undetected, picked up his peace as he headed to the street, accidentally splashing in a puddle of black water. Slowing down, they turned the corner and walked right into the barrel of a blaster.

"Well well well." The man said, his face hidden in the shadow cast by his hat. "I thought I had picked up an unwanted tail."

Chewbacca growled angrily.

"Yea." Han said "we don't want any trouble. We weren't following you or anything. We were just on our way home."

The man gave a chuckle. "Oh come on. You must think that I am a total fool. Han solo, Hero of the rebellion claims to be going home, on Ord Mantell?" he laughed again. "Now turn and face the wall, all of you, hands on your heads. Any tricks and I'll pluck you full of blaster bolts. Understood?"

Han slowly followed the instructions, but his eyes were fixed directly behind their capturer. Out of the darkness, a figure slowly emerged, moving purposely, slowly, and quietly. Han eyed Karrde, and he gave a tiny, almost imperceivable smile.

Slowly the figure pulled out a nasty looking blaster with a long silencer on the barrel. Then in one purposeful motion, he wrapped his arm around their assailant's throat, and shoved the barrel of his gun into his back.

Karrde dropped his hands to his sides. "How funny how the tides have turned." He said, with a small smile on his face. "Now if you will so kindly drop you blaster and kick it towards us please."

With a snarl, the man slowly lowered his blaster to the ground, and kicked it out of reach.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Karrde said dryly. "Now please put your hands on your head."

Han turned to Karrde, with his hands on his hips. "Now Karrde, you never told me that you were bringing backup."

Karrde smiled, putting his hand on Han's shoulder. "Solo, I always bring backup." He walked up towards the man with the blaster. "Thanks Aves. Glad I can count on you." He tossed him a Datachip. "get back to the ship, and run this info for me."

The man gave a nod, and as he turned his collar up, he swiftly walked off, turning the corner and fading into the darkness.

Han turned back to the man who had ambushed them, and he drew his blaster. The man gave a sigh of defeat.

"there won't be any need for that." He said. "I'll tell you all that I know." He sat down on a piece of trash. "a few rotations ago, I learned from a contact of mine that the Empire started picking up a signal."

Han put his hand on his hip. "From where?"

The man shook his head. "Not from any republic allied planets, don't worry." He paused before speaking again. "From a planet deep in the unknown regions. I ain't personally ever heard of it, but they seemed to make a big deal about it in the Empire, for whatever reason."

Karrde leaned against the wall, a mildly puzzled look on his face. "what was the name of this planet- assuming it has one?"

The man had trouble pronouncing it. "Someplace called Csilla, I think." Han saw a quick flash of recognition pass over Karrdes face, before it quickly disappeared. Han turned back to the man.

"What did the transmission say?"

The man held his hands out, palms upward. "No idea, I swear."

"Is that all then?" Karrde asked. The man gave a nod.

"Very well. You're free to go." Karrde said, as he shifted his gaze to the man's blaster. "I think that I'll keep you gun though. I quite like it."

Han gestured with his pistol. "Now get going."

The man rose, and turned, but didn't walk away. Instead, he turned his head slightly and spoke with artificial cheer. "Its been fun chatting." His voice got noticeably darker. "But Solo, you better hope I don't ever see you again, because you definitely won't see me."

He then strode off into the shadows, and in a matter of seconds, he was gone. Han re-holstered his blaster and turned towards Karrde.

"Alright, spill. What do you know about Csilla?"

Karrde spoke, his face very thoughtful, and his brow furrowed. He chose his words carefully, and talked slowly. "I'm sorry Solo, but I can't tell you anything, before I get to think about what this could mean." Han sighed. "However," he began again. "I can give you a hint. When you get to Coruscant, look up the Outbound Flight in the archives."

Han puzzled at this clue, and opened his mouth to speak, but with a hard stare from Karrde that said, 'no more questions,' their conversation was closed.

They both turned back towards the sprawling center of the city in the distance.

Chewbacca gave and exhausted growl.

"Yea I agree buddy. We've got a long way to walk."

And with that, the trio made their way back towards the heart of the city.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes: Enjoy this chapter, and comment if you like or see any errors. all characters presented belong to Disney and Lucasfilm.**

"Yes Princess, that's right," said Threepio, tilting his head slightly to the left. "Captain Solo arrived over a few hours ago. Has he not contacted you?"

"No" Leia responded, thinking. If he didn't tell her that he was here, then something important must have happened. "Where is he now?"

"I do believe that he has gone to the library princess." Said Threepio, although It didn't sound like he believed the last part himself.

"Wow." Leia scoffed, smiling slightly. "He never does fail to amaze."

Turning back to Threepio she spoke. "Check up on the kids please Threepio. I'll be in the library if you need me."

"Very well. Thank you, Princess." Said Threepio. He then shuffled off towards her suite, while Leia strode towards the library, trailed by Winter.

"How long do I have until we are supposed to leave the Coruscant Winter?" she asked, turning slightly as she walked.

"Two hours Your Highness." She responded, having memorized the time.

"Thank you Winter."

Leia arrived at the library and strode in. she swept her gaze over the various Datachips, archives, and books, but she didn't see Han. She walked in slowly, still looking around at the vast amounts of information surrounding her.

As she looked towards her left, she saw him at a computer terminal, viewing a datachip. The light cast a strange glow on his face, she thought, as she made her way over.

When she arrived, he shut down the terminal, and pulled out the ancient looking datachip. He looked at her, with his face slightly worried as she sat down facing him. He pulled her into a warm embrace, and then leaned in towards her, his voice low. "We may have a problem."

"Yea I have some strange things happening right now too." She said, thinking back to the council meeting, and the transmissions coming from Csilla.

Han gestured with his palms. "Tell me your thing, your Highness." He said playfully.

She smiled, but only for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "the Republic intercepted a transmission that was using strong Imperial encryptions." At this, Han's face contorted into surprise, and then intrigue. She continued. "the transmissions were coming from Csilla," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "The birthplace of Thrawn." She continued talking normally. "it was decided that a task force would be sent to check it out, and it was voted that I would be leading this force." She finished, putting her palms on the table.

Han looked at her for a few seconds, and then spoke, holding up the Datacard. "that's really funny, because I have just been researching the Outbound Flight." He paused. "Have you heard of it before?"

Leia nodded. Her history was a bit rusty, but she remembered the overall premise of the mission. "Weren't they trying to explore and expand the old republic, and even find life outside of our galaxy?"

Han nodded. "But instead, that force was destroyed. However, shortly before their destruction, they reported their coordinates. They were last heard of at Csilla. Whatever lies at Csilla, it Is something very dangerous."

Leia quietly sucked in a breath. "Well then, you'll just have to wish me all the luck I can get then."

Han shook his head. "Uh-uh. That's not gonna fly. I'm coming with you."

"Han…" Leia sighed, but that old Corellian stubbornness had come out, and she could tell that he was not changing his mind. "Fine." She said quickly. "But you have to listen to everything that I say."

"Look your worshipfulness," He responded smiling. "Let's get one thing straight. I take orders from one person. Me!"

Leia smiled and was about to respond, but Winter tapped her on the shoulder before she could. "Yes Winter?" she asked.

"Sorry to disturb you, your Highness." She began, looking down at her Datapad. "But it appears that your brother has entered the system and will land shortly on landing pad 115-B."

Leia rose slowly. "Well Han, if you want to come on our little expedition, then meet me in the main hangar at—" she glanced at winter.

"In one hour and forty-six minutes from now." Winter finished for her.

"thank you Winter." Responded Leia as they turned to leave the library. "What would I do without you?"

Winter smiled. "I wouldn't know Princess."

* * *

Leia waited in the Hangar for Luke. He was set to arrive any second now. It was not long before she could see a speck in the sky that slowly turned into a dot, and then into a little cross, and then into a ship, taking defined features.

The X-wing landed gracefully on the pad, blowing some hot air over Leia's face. The cockpit opened at the engines cooled, and Luke slowly climbed out, and down the ladder that had been quickly propped up by the maintenance crew. As soon as he touched solid ground, he stretched a bit and then made his way over to Leia, smiling.

Artoo made it first, and he rushed towards Threepio, beeping and electronically jabbering.

"Yes, I know." Responded Threepio over the beeps.

"No, I am very impressed Artoo," He said again, somehow managing to sound slightly sarcastic, despite his programmed politeness.

"What are you calling me, you oversized trash bin?" Threepio asked.

Luke finally arrived, stretching his fingers. "Those tiny little cockpits are the worst for long journeys."

They began to walk back into the palace. "So, I heard from Mara that the political talks did not go according to plan?" Leia said smiling.

"I think that the Eythiri may want to stay independent for some time.' Said Luke. "they attacked us. Twice."

"speaking of 'us'," Leia said. "where did Mara go?"

"I believe that she went to go join Karrde after his trip with Han."

Luke's small smile died down, and his voice turned more thoughtful. "Artoo informed me that you wanted me to go on a 'trip' with you." He paused, thinking. "Although Artoo didn't say it, I get the feeling that this is something important."

Leia nodded her head. "it is indeed." She stopped walking and faced Luke. "The Republic has discovered an Imperial signal coming from Csilla, the birthplace of Thrawn, and I am leading a task force to go investigate."

Luke's eyed drifted out of focus, lost in thought. "How did the Republic learn of the coordinates to Csilla?"

"I assume that they pulled them from the Outbound Flight records."

Luke's eyes jolted into focus, and he looked at her. "That was the mission that Jorus C'aboth died on. The real Jorus C'aboth."

She nodded.

Luke spoke again. "And I assume that you want me to come on this mission?"

"No, actually." Leia responded. "The New Republic wants you on this mission, for your Jedi knowledge, and perceptiveness through the Force."

Luke gave a small nod, and spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I'll go. This planet has been the focal point for many events in history."

"Thanks Luke. It's going to be great to have you along, Just like old times." She glanced at her Chrono. "We had better be making our way over to the main hangar right now. We are supposed to depart in ten minutes"

Luke opened the door for her. "Then to the Main Hangar we go."

* * *

They arrived a few minutes before departure, with Han already waiting beside the shuttle. Leia also saw Garm Bel Iblis.

"Genera!" she called slightly puzzled. "what are you doing here?"

"I am the Commanding Army officer on this mission." He responded. "Were you not informed of this?"

Leia was a bit taken aback. "They sent you? Mon mothma must be really worried about this."

He smiled. "Thank you for your kindness Senator, however I think that both Mon mothma and Rebel High Command are very worried about this mission." He eyed her. "Possibly more than you know."

She began her way up to the shuttle from the ramp, with Han, Luke, Threepio, and Artoo trailing behind her. "How large of a force have they given us General?" she asked. Nothing more than one Frigate, she thought to herself. This mission wasn't that important.

"Two Nebulon-B frigates, and one Mon Calamari Star Cruiser." He responded. Leia's jaw almost dropped as they entered the shuttle and took their seats. "I will inform you now Senator, that we are expecting combat on this mission."

The shuttle took off, heading towards the darkness of space, as Leia knew that deep down she had been expecting combat too.

Their fleet came into view and Han whistled.

"All of that is ours?" He said, looking at Leia. "This is some expedition."

Leia had to agree with him. The two frigates with their impressive engines array, connected to the bridge and crew quarters by a pylon, were a sight to behold, but the Mon Cala Cruiser that loomed over them, with its rounded body and pointed nose was just plain impressive. She couldn't help but wonder what they might encounter that made the high command so jittery, as she watched the cruiser drift through the darkness of space.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Notes: Enjoy this chapter. Also, I have a few questions to ask the readers of my story: what is your favorite perspective to be written from. For example, Empire, Luke, Han.. etc. comment if you like this chapter, (it took a long time to write.) Also, it has been pointed out to me that I may have some spelling and capitalization errors- I am always going back and trying to fix those. Thanks for telling me. Anyway, I don't own any rights to the places and people mentioned, those all belong to Disney and Lucasfilm.**

Pellaeon glanced at his chrono, and then turned his gaze towards the starlines flying by outside the ship. "We are ahead of schedule?" He asked the navigation officer, leaning over his shoulder, turning his head to look back at the man's console.

"Yes Sir." The man replied. "In the past, we have had to plot a complicated course around a large Nebula." He paused to type something into his scope. "However, before going into Hyperspace, we were able to calculate a much quicker trip through the Nebula."

Pellaeon again glanced out to the starlines. So beautiful, yet if they hit anything, the entire ship would be destroyed in an instant. "You sure that the navigation is safe?"

The man nodded. "Yes Sir." He then pointed at the Helmsman. "And, as I am sure you know, if the ship detects any object in our path, it will immediately drop out of Hyperspace, back to Realspace."

Pellaeon knew of this function, but it was nice to be assured. "How is the _Judicator_ fairing Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Well Sir, they are on their way, but will be arriving slightly later than us; they jumped from a further away system."

Pellaeon patted the man on the shoulder. "Well done Lieutenant. Proceed with your normal duties." He made his way over to the front most section of the bridge, just as a call came from the Helmsman.

"Coming out of Hyperspace now." And with a flash, the starlines turned into stars, and the _Chimera_ dropped out of Hyperspace.

Seconds later, a call came out from the portside crew pit. "Detecting an object coming out from Hyperspace!"

Pellaeon spun around to his second in command officer. "What is the ETA on the _Judicator_ commander?"

"They are expected to arrive in around ten minutes Sir." The man said, a slightly worried look on his face.

Another call came from the crew pit. "Detecting two—no, three objects dropping out now!"

Pellaeon turned again to look out one of the many viewports of the ship, just in time to see a cruiser flanked by two frigates appear with a flash pseudomotion of their port side. Seconds later, the alarm klaxons of the ship began to sound, and the ship gave a small shudder. The floor beneath Pellaeon trembling slightly, the sign of a Turbolaser blast colliding with armored Durasteel.

Seconds later, a call came out from the portside crew pit. "Three identified New Republic vessels. Full shields, and they have begun firing on us!"

Another call came out seconds later. "We're hit! Port side, minimal damage."

"Shields up, full power!" Pellaeon called out over the noise and alarm klaxons. "Cut the engines, and divert all available power to port batteries! seal off all bulkheads in the damaged area!" the _Chimera_ had been caught when they weren't expecting it.

He looked out the viewport and could see the Republic fleet in the distance. Already green blasts were lancing out from their ships, while the _Chimera_ was just beginning to respond with red blasts that sent angry flares rippling out on the shields of the enemy fleet, as the power from the shots dissipated.

The enemy was defiantly a force to be reckoned with. Pellaeon doubted that they would be able to last very long, especially as their shields were just beginning to come online, stopping the blasts before they could hit the ship.

He quickly marched over to the navigational officer. "What is the ETA on the Judicator?" The man tapped furiously on his keyboard while simultaneously responding to Pellaeon over the noise.

"The estimated arrival time is in approximately five minutes Sir." As soon as the man finished speaking, Pellaeon rushed over to the Comms Officer.

"Get a message out to the Judicator immediately. Tell captain Brandei That he is to immediately move into full battle awareness, and that he is to drop out of hyperspace at" he glanced at his datapad. "3174.45, 4663.45, exactly."

The man gave a curt nod.

Pellaeon then called to Commander Dreyf behind him. "Press the attack Commander. When the Judicator is one minute away, divert all power to the port shields. Halt the cannons, and drop the Starboard shields entirely." The captain rushed away without hesitation.

In the moment of battle, the crew of the _Chimaera_ were a great deal more skilled then could be said five years ago. Working under Thrawn had served them well.

Suddenly a call came out from the navigational console. "Judicator one minute out, prepared for battle!"

Another call came out from another man. "Diverting all power to port shields. Ceasing fire now." Pellaeon surveyed the enemy while looking at the holo display. They enemy fleet was gradually lowering their shields and diverting more and more power to their weapons, in hopes of penetrating the _Chimeras_ powerful deflectors.

Exactly as planned.

Another call came out from the crew pit. "Shields down to fifty percent Sir!"

Pellaeon glanced at his chrono again and muttered under his breath. "Come on Brandei, don't let me down."

Suddenly the space right next to the enemy on their opposite side rippled, and a star destroyer appeared from hyperspace, gliding like a knife through space.

The Judicator had arrived.

Seconds after its arrival, red turboloader bolts lanced out and hit the near defenseless enemy, their shields down. The ships had tried to turn to face the new threat, but were taking extensive damage. Already lights were flickering out, as the ships began to lose power in the confusion.

In a matter of minutes, it was all over. They had caught the enemy off guard. One Frigate had already broken apart into two pieces, while both the Cruiser and the other frigate had suffered great amounts of damage.

Pellaeon took a long deep breath and gave out a call. "Damage report."

Numerous men answered him. "shields beginning to recycle now, at thirty-two percent."

"Cannons resetting."

"Four individual hull burns, all sealed off. They are being repaired now."

No more calls came out. Pellaeon allowed himself a small smile. They had handled the New Republic fleet rather well.

Suddenly a small beep came over the bridge, and commander Dreyf tapped Pellaeon's shoulder, looking down at his datapad. "Sir we are being hailed from—" he trailed off. "we can't actually find a definitive location sir. The signal is bouncing around, and we can't figure out where it is coming from."

"Very well," Pellaeon said. "Put it through."

Dreyf tapped on his datapad and a face flickered into view. It had blue features, the black hair, the red eyes.

But it was not Thrawn. This man had a much larger, blockier face. he wore a brown uniform with a symbol that Pellaeon didn't recognize.

He spoke slowly and carefully, and one could tell that English was probably not his first language. "I assume that you are captain Pellaeon of the Empire?"

"I am indeed." Pellaeon responded slowly, with a raised eyebrow, wondering how they knew his name.

"With your permission, we would like to send a delegation to your ship."

"of course," Pellaeon responded. "We await your presence." And with that, the man's face slowly dissolved out of view. For a few seconds, no one spoke, and there was a near total silence on the bridge.

One that was quickly interrupted by the Com-scan officer. "Sir, Com-Scan has detected a small group of single man fighters fleeing the remnants of the New Republic Fleet."

Pellaeon nodded and pointed to the communications officer. "Signal the Judicator." He then turned to Commander Dreyf. "Launch all fighters."

* * *

Palleon leaned over the tactical display. Currently, a mass of about a dozen tiny ships were shown, all colored red, and desperately running from the destroyers. Suddenly, masses of blue ships began appearing near the _Judicator_ and the _Chimera_. Pellaeon smiled. The Tie Fighters had joined the attack.

They swept forwards, flying in tight Delta formations, quickly catching up to the enemies, and breaking formation to engage the enemy fighters. The red and blue ships swept in and out, both sides playing the part of some sort of dangerous dance.

The corners of Pellaeon's mouth turned downwards. One ship—No, two ships were faring extremely well, as another blue dot blinked out of existence. Pellaeon keyed into the table to begin recording this battle, and then pulled up the files on the two ships.

The first, a new republic X-wing. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The second, however, was a YT-1300, a light freighter, but this one was heavily modified. Abandoning the table, Pellaeon quickly strode to the viewport to survey the battle.

There was no doubt about it. That ship was the Millennium Falcon. That meant that Han solo was defiantly aboard, and if he was there, chances were that so was Senator Organa. Pellaeon called out to the weapons officer. "Fire on that ship immediately!"

He responded. "But Sir! The cannons have not finished resetting."

Pellaeon gave him a sharp stare. The man swallowed. "Yes Sir, immediately."

Pellaeon returned to the tactical display and watched the laser fire that started to arc out from the destroyers, targeting the falcon. Suddenly, on cue, all of the ships seemed to abandon the fight, as they all turned and broke for the edge of space, hoping to escape the gravity of the planet.

Pellaeon raised an eyebrow. They were trying to escape. He marched over to the lieutenant in charge of the ships tractor beams. "Ready the tractor beams, and pull in that YT-1300 freighter as soon as possible."

"yes sir." The man replied, typing on his keyboard.

He returned to the tactical display, watching the ships run. A call came out from the lieutenant. "Tractor beams starting up now sir." Pellaeon looked at the display. He could see the faint lines from the gravity wells begin to appear as they swept their way towards the enemy fighters.

"Hurry!" Pellaeon called, not taking his eyes off the display. They had almost gotten free of the planet's gravity. The tractor beam projections were not far behind.

"Twenty thousand!" the man called out, indicating the distance between the beams and the ship.

"Ten thousand!" he called again to Pellaeon who was surveying the tactical display. They were expertly dodging the blasts coming from the Tie fighters and the _Chimera_ as they ran.

"Five hundred!" he called

"Four hundred!"

"Two hundred!"

"One hundred!" the man called again.

"We are in range!" he called finally, but it was too late. As Pellaeon watched, the miniature ships gave a flicker of pseudomotion and disappeared, heading back to Coruscant to report the news. Pellaeon gave a sigh and stood up. So close, but they had escaped yet again.

He took a deep breath, but the peace was not to last. A call came from the Com-scan officer.

"Sir!"

Pellaeon strode over to him, leaning over the man to look at his console. "Yes Lieutenant?"

"We are detecting a large object coming around from behind the planet." He looked at his console again. "Sir, if my readings are correct, this object is massive."

Pallaeon's jaw almost dropped. This was a titanic scale ship, easily eclipsing the large Star Destroyer.

He walked over to the viewport in an attempt to get a glimpse of this object. Not looking away from the far side of the planet, he called out. "Shields up. Recall the fighters."

Slowly, the object appeared. A small triangle at first, it grew bigger and bigger, and even bigger yet as more of the ship came into view.

And then suddenly, the whole ship was there for anyone to see and marvel at, reflecting the sun in its impressive might and glory.

"A Super Star Destroyer." Pellaeon muttered under his breath. He had not seen one in a long long time. Memories of the executor flailing down to the death star over Endor, in its final moments of glory still brought shivers to his spine.

He was brought out of his trance by Commander Dreyf.

"Sir? What should we do?"

Pellaeon slowly turned, not wanting to take his eyes off the ship. "keep the shields up, and begin calculating hyperspace coordinates. Other than that, we are going to let them make the first move."

Dreyf nodded his head and walked to the crew pit to go complete Pellaeon's commands, his eyes also lingering on the Super Star Destroyer.

Pellaeon couldn't see the _Lambda_ \- class shuttle leave one of the many hangar of the main ship. However, he was starting to be able to faintly make out its tri wing design as another ping sounded through the bridge. Pellaeon tapped a button on the Holo display and the same face appeared in front of him.

"Hello captain." He spoke, a small glint in his eyes. "We are sending our delegation now, if you would be so kind as to lower your shields."

Pellaeon thought for a moment. If the _Chimera_ lowered her shields, she would be totally vulnerable to attack by the Super Star destroyer. Lowering their shields would be an insane move of faith towards these unknown people.

Pellaeon pointed to Commander Dreyf and he tapped on his datapad.

"Very well. Our shields are being lowered. You may land in our ventral docking bay."

The man smiled. Not a nice smile, but a tight smile, one that someone gives when they are in control, and they know it. "Thank you Captain." The man dissolved, the communication ending.

As the shuttle drew nearer, Pellaeon left the bridge, and headed towards the turbolifts to go meet this delegation

* * *

Pellaeon's stood, hands clasped at the small of his back, with a platoon of Stormtroopers behind him. The shuttle slowly came in, touching down, making no more noise than if he had dropped a pebble on the deck of the ship.

With a hiss of steam, the ramp lowered, the insides of the shuttle shrouded in darkness. Slowly, numerous masked figures, clad in blood red descended from the shuttle lining up on either sides of the ramp.

Pellaeon eyebrow rose slightly. He had not seen Imperial guards in a long time. They were the sole protectors of the emperor, but he was no more. What purpose could they serve now?"

Finally, a figure descended from the shuttle, with blue features, black hair and red eyes. He wore the white uniform of a grand admiral, with his gloved hands also clasped at his back, and golden epaulets lining his shoulders. He had a face that Pellaeon recognized, and held himself with an air of authority, grace and intelligence. With an air that demanded respect. A small smile played out across his face.

It was most indisputably, Grand Admiral Thrawn.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Notes: Enjoy, comment and I don't own any of the places or characters present, they all belong to Disney and Lucasfilm.**

"Sir we're coming out of hyperspace now." The call came from the Helmsman to General Bel Iblis.

Luke turned towards Han. He had his hand resting on his blaster. Chewbacca stood behind him, letting out nervous soft growls and rumbles every once and a while. The General and Leia stood at the very front of the bridge.

Luke rested his hand down on Artoo's cool metal dome. Everyone was very apprehensive for this trip. He closed his eyes and stretched out with the force. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

Slowly, the three ships came out of hyperspace, in front of a white desolate icy planet.

"I'm gonna assume that's Csilla then." Han said. "looks like a great place. Love to go vacation there."

Suddenly, a call came from a man at his terminal. "There's an Imperial star destroyer here!" Bel Iblis ran over to him.

"They have no shields and their cannons are powered down!" he turned towards the group, and then back to the man. "We have caught them totally unprepared! open fire immediately!"

Luke walked up to the viewport just in time to see the lasers come lancing out from the frigates. They hit the Star Destroyer hard, sending bits of metal soaring out into the vacuum of space.

Bel Iblis walked next to Leia. "I had a feeling we might see some combat."

She was looking at her monitor. "They still haven't started firing back." She looked up at him. "Either I am missing something or those Imperials are getting really sloppy."

Luke turned away from the viewport, pointing at the ship. "You guys, that's not just some random Star Destroyer." He paused. "that's the _Chimaera_ , the flagship of Thrawn."

Han came to join Luke at the viewport, as a few other blasts hit the ship hard. "well not anymore with this kind of skill, that's for sure."

Suddenly the Star Destroyers weapons took action, and started, almost reluctantly, to fire on the Republic ships. The bolts of energy splashed uselessly off the shields.

Bel Iblis spoke, but he wasn't smiling. "Good thing I thought to raise our shields before entering the system." He paused. "However, this is all too easy." He turned to Luke.

"I agree," Luke responded. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Han pointed out at the ship. "There. They've finally gotten their shields up." Now the Republic's lasers were also splashing on their shields.

Bel Iblis stroked his chin, and looked at the outside stars. "Something strange is happening out there."

A call came from another man at his scope. "Sir they are diverting more and more power to their shields."

Han again pointed at the ship, a puzzled expression on his face. "they've stopped firing now entirely."

Bel Iblis paced around the bridge. "They are planning something. I don't like it." He looked at Luke. "Are you sensing anything strange through the force?" he asked.

Luke had a very bad feeling in his stomach, nagging at him, but that was just his own intuition. "No I'm not feeling anything strange through the force." He said slowly.

The man at the computer called out again. "Sir, at this rate of fire, the tactical computer calculates that it will be a couple hours before we are able to break their shields." He paused. "I recommend we divert more power to our starboard canons."

Bel Iblis stopped pacing, speaking slowly. "Very well lieutenant. Divert more power to the cannons."

The man pushed some buttons. "Shields down to fifty percent. Cannons operating at one hundred and fifty percent power."

He called out again. "Shields completely down. Cannons now firing at two hundred percent efficiency."

Now, massive angry red bolts of energy were firing from the New Republic ships, splattering all over the _Chimaera's_ shields.

Luke closed his eyes and stretched out deeply with the force. He could just feel something at the edge of his senses, but It was getting closer by the second. He dug deeper.

With a start, his eyes jolted open and he swore. "It's a trap!" their faces went from confusion to fear. Bel Iblis ran to a console in an attempt to divert the power back to the shields, but it was too late.

Right next to their fleet, another star destroyer had appeared, with its shields fully raised, and cannons fully charged. It cut through space soundlessly, and seconds after its arrival, it began to open fire on the un-shielded fleet.

All Luke could do was watch next to Bel Iblis. "Amazing." He said quietly. "They just successfully performed an incredibly accurate jump." Luke could only nod his head in agreement, the Star Destroyer seemed so close, that if Luke reached out, he could actually touch it.

Bel Iblis turned away from the viewport, and began to yell commands to the crew. "Rotate the fleet so that we face the new Star Destroyer! Divert the power between shields and cannons!"

The fleet started to turn, but they had taken too much damage already. "Sir the _defender_ has taken heavy damage to her main reactor, and is quickly losing power!"

Bel Iblis ran to the viewport next to Luke, just in time to see the ship give off a massive flash, and split into three parts, breaking at its center pylon, sucking her crew into the vacuum of space.

"Sir we are taking heavy damage!" the call came again, followed by another one. "Our engines are gone!" another blast hit the ship, sparks flew from consoles, and a coolant pipe came down from the ceiling, nearly hitting Threepio.

With a heavy face, Gram Bel Iblis sat in his chair, and spoke into the intercom, his voice booming over the ship. "All hands, abandon ship. Repeat, abandon ship."

He got up. "Now we better get out of here if we want to survive this." He gestured with his hand. "The escape pods are this way."

Han held up a finger, his smirk on his face. "I got a better idea. Why don't we take the Falcon?"

Luke sighed. "you never go anywhere without that ship. Do you?"

"Never," Han responded smiling. "Now let's get going."

Then ran down the broken halls, the lights flickering on and off, and various panels lying on the ground, with Artoo and Threepio trying their best to keep up.

The ship shook under their feet, and a bulkhead slammed shut automatically behind them, they were thrown into the wall.

"come on!" Han shouted. "We can make it!"

They soon approached the main hangar, and the group ran to the Millennium Falcon sitting there in all of its scrappy glory.

Luke, having brought his X-wing, hopped into it quickly, as soon as the canopy opened, closely followed by Artoo. He threw some switches, and activated the main computer, above him.

As he buckled in, The ship slowly rose, still not having fully warmed up yet. The X-wing left the hangar followed by the Falcon, and a few other A-wings and X-wings that had managed to make it out.

Luke activated his comm. "you read me Han old buddy?"

His voice came through loud and clear. "I sure do. I say that we break for the edge of the planet's gravity."

Luke changed his comm to open republic frequency. "To all those who are still alive, this is Skywalker. We are going to make for the edge of the planet's gravity well, and then jump towards Coruscant. Understood?" he asked, getting about fourteen responses.

Artoo warbled nervously.

"I'm on it buddy." He paused. "Hey Han, they've just begun deploying their tie fighters."

"Yea I see them." He responded. "This is where the fun begins."

Luke looked out his canopy at the star destroyers. At their hangar bays, dozens of Tie fighters were dropping out and screaming towards them at full speed, solar panels reflecting in the sun.

"I don't think that we can make it Han. They are faster than us, and outnumber us ten to one. We need to at least thin their ranks if we want to make it."

Han responded on open Republic frequency. "I agree. Alright let's get as many of those Tie's as we can, and then break for open space."

Luke pulled hard on the etheric rudder, sending the ship into a sharp turn, just as the Tie fighter's screamed past him, breaking formation and spitting out green laser bolts.

Luke saw one go over his canopy, and turned again, deciding to chase it. He pursued the Tie, pulling down on the trigger to fire all four of his powerful wingtip cannons. He destroyed the ship, and flew through the cloud of fire and debris.

Artoo screamed.

"I see him, I see him Artoo." Luke assured the droid, sending the ship into a tight spin to evade the lasers flying past him from the Tie on his tail.

He pulled out from the spin with a small groan. "Artoo, turn up the internal compensator to ninety-eight." He paused, coming up with an idea. "Also, cut the power to the engines when I say."

He watched the fighter behind him through his scope. "Do it now Artoo!" he called at the droid.

The X-wing slowed suddenly, the Tie soaring past it, dodging, but still nearly hitting Luke. He slammed down on the Etheric rudder, in hot pursuit of the ship. As soon as the shot was lined up, Luke pushed down hard on the trigger and destroyed the ship, quickly turning to his right, as two green bolts sizzled through the space that he occupied seconds before.

He looked around trying to find the falcon. He saw it soar past his nose, going into a tight spin, as her cannons shot down, one- no both of the fighters following them. Han was still quite the pilot.

A splash of energy on the rear shields paired with Artoos scream brought Luke back into the battle, as he turned hard left. Suddenly a massive bolt of energy flew past his ship.

Looking up at the star destroyers he spoke. "Hey Artoo?" he paused. "is it just me or did that blast come from that Star Destroyer up there?" he didn't have to wait for an answer, as another turbolaser blast flew by him.

"Hey Han?" he asked. "I think that those destroyers are joining the battle, and have decided to target me."

Han responded, his voice sounding grim. "Close, but no. They are going after me." Luke looked out at the falcon and saw turbolaser blasts follow the Falcon closely- a little too close for his liking.

"I say right now is a good time for us to leave this party." Luke said. Han responded in agreement, and both ships turned away from the planet.

"Artoo, angle rear deflectors, and boost those engines. The sooner we can get out of here, the better."

Artoo twittered nervously, the translation appearing on his scope

"They're activating their tractor beams?" Luke asked Artoo. He beeped and affirmative.

"Han Artoo is reading some tractor beams coming from those destroyers. I think that they're trying to pull us in."

"We can make it. Just run those hyperspace calculations and make for the edge of the gravity well." He responded, his voice strained.

He pushed forwards as hard as he could on the Etheric rudder, pushing the ship as far as he could.

He could see the tractor beam drawing closer and closer. The edge of the gravity well was so close.

"Artoo as soon as we get free of the planet's gravity, jump!" he called up to the robot.

Almost there, Almost there…

They had made it. He looked at his scope and yelled. "Artoo! Now!" the tractor beam was an arm's length away from him now, but with a groan, the ship shot forwards, and the stars turned into starlines. They had made it safely.

Luke took a deep breath, gave a chuckle and relaxed in his seat.

Now he just had to hope that his friends had made it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

"No." the first words out of Pellaeon's mouth came strong and loud. "I saw Grand Admiral Thrawn die. He no longer exists."

Gathering his resolve, Pellaeon turned towards the squad of stormtroopers behind him. "Detain this man immediately, and prepare him for questioning."

Behind Pellaeon, Thrawn held up a hand. "Peace captain. I am Thrawn. If you wish to check my DNA, you will see that it is true." He slowly descended the platform of the ship towards Pellaeon.

Pellaeon shoulders slumped. It was very hard not to believe him. he radiated all the power that Thrawn had possessed, his face still gave off the air of intelligence that Pellaeon never quite understood.

A trooped stepped up to Thrawn, and Thrawn extended his hand for the needle. After taking the sample, the trooper approached Pellaeon, waiting for the medpack to give its answer. The trooper looked up at Pellaeon. "It is an identical match Sir."

Pellaeon waved him off and then sighed. Having accepted the medpack's answer, he posed his first question. "How?"

Thrawn approached Pellaeon. "Walk with me Captain. It would appear that I have a great deal to explain."

* * *

Pellaeon and Thrawn strode through the hallways of the ship, occasionally passing an officer with quite a surprised expression on his face.

"Upon visiting Honoghr, I deemed that there was something strange happening with the Noghri, as I informed you. This, coupled with the strange occurrences related to the young warrior from clan Kim'bar provided me with enough reason for worry." He paused, regarding Pellaeon with his unsettling gaze before continuing.

"I knew that Rukh kept in constant contact with Honoghr, and I had to assume that he had been compromised as well. I then used the highly advanced engineering of my people to create a lifelike droid, that would sit on the _Chimaera_ , acting as little more than a puppet during my time on Csilla."

Pellaeon responded. "But Sir, I saw your blood. It was so real."

Thrawn glanced at Pellaeon. "The red effect was pure luck. I believe that it was the oil in the droid that had a red color."

"So that was why I was unable to see your body. I would have just found the remnants of a droid."

Thrawn smiled ever so slightly. "Exactly captain. When provided with the opportunity to fake my death, I seized it. Now, the rebellion has no idea that I am currently alive, and will be totally caught off guard for the next stages of my plan."

Thrawn had stopped walking. They had arrived at his quarters, without Pellaeon even realizing. Thrawn opened the door and gestured at Pellaeon. "Please join me Captain."

"Yes Sir." Responded Pellaeon As he stepped onto the bridge. the viewports displayed the Super Star Destroyer out in space, its stark grey Hull providing a great contrast with the blackness of space.

"beautiful, isn't it?" Thrawn asked Pellaeon, his voice slightly dreamy as they stared at the ship. "I call her, _The Moderator._ "

"I wasn't aware that there were any more Super Star Destroyers in the fleet Sir." Pellaeon stated, his eyes glued to the ship.

"There weren't. I had this one built. I have been planning to unveil it for some time Captain, and that time has come at last."

Pellaeon tore his eyes off the ship, and back onto Thrawn, who had just sat down slowly into his chair, pushing the intercom button.

He thought for a few moments before speaking. "Attention crew." He paused. "This is Grand Admiral Thrawn speaking. For many of you, it may seem as though I have returned from the dead. I can assure you that this is not true, although I cannot explain how my return has come to be."

He paused again, purposefully choosing his words, his cool and perfectly modulated voice sweeping through the ship. "What I can guarantee, however, is that our victory over this Rebellion is an event that has been merely delayed, not at all halted. Victory will be ours yet. We will move forward, to a future that sees only the Empire." He ended his speech slowly, but firmly.

He clicked off the intercom, and rose from his chair, facing Pellaeon. "Now Captain, let us go the bridge, and begin planning for the return of the Empire."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Notes: Enjoy this chapter and thank you to 'WeylandCorp 4' for you helpful/awesome comments, (Take that rebel scum.) anyways, I don't own any of the characters present or any settings written about. those all belong to Disney and Lucasfilm.**

"So, General," Fey'lya said, slightly mockingly, a ripple running through his fur. "If I am to understand correctly, your entire fleet was destroyed at Csilla, was it not?"

General Bel Iblis stood in his pod, floating in the middle of the assembled senate, his head hung noticeably low. "Your assumptions are correct senator." He responded.

Fey'lya pressed his attack. "And what did you find at Csilla, exactly, General?"

Bel Iblis sighed. "Only a barren icy world, and two Star Destroyers."

Fey'lya clasped his hands together. "Then, this means that my assumptions were, and still are fully accurate. We should have never sent a fleet to Csilla."

Leia glanced at Han, his face a thinly veiled mask of anger and annoyance. He tapped the button on his pod, and his voice poured over the chamber.

He spoke, the disgust in his voice evident. "Actually senator, we did find something." He paused. Leia was suddenly interested. This was the first that she was hearing of this. "As we fled the battle, the Falcon's scanners picked up a massive object in the system, and the presence of the imperial fleet only confirms my belief that that object, whatever it was, is extraordinarily valuable."

Fey'lya's fur gave off another ripple, as Leia sighed. Here they went again. "So, Captain, you are telling me that you scanned something big, and that you think its important?"

Suddenly Leia's Comm pinged, and she turned her back to the proceedings to answer it.

She was greeted by Winter's smooth voice. "Hello Princess. I have encountered someone who has come to me looking for you."

Leia responded. "Please send them to me, and I'll happily see them."

Winter paused. "I'm afraid that it's not that easy Senator. This person is currently being held by the Noghri. They refuse to let him go anywhere." She paused. "With good reason probably."

Leia straightened up, slightly surprised. "Who is this person?"

Winter paused again. "I think that it's not the best idea to say over Comm Princess. Perhaps you should come see for yourself."

Leia looked back at the senator proceedings and was unsurprised to find Han arguing with Fey'lya. It even looked as though Ackbar had joined in. he would be fine, she thought to herself, as she made her way through the double doors, leaving the chamber.

* * *

Leia rounded the corner to her office and stepped inside, surveying its seven inhabitants. She found Winter with a slightly worried look on her face, and a man sitting in one of her chairs with four Noghri surrounding him. the man raised his head to look at her, and a brief look of recognition swept across his face.

Leia could tell by his poise that he very clearly had a military history. She sat in the chair across from him, studying his face. she then looked at the Noghri who were surrounding the man, ready to strike at any provocation.

"Khabarakh, please stand down." She said to her main protector.

"But Lady Vader," he hissed in anger, gesturing to the man. "This man is an Imperial agent."

So, Leia's suspicions had been correct.

"Khabarakh." She said again, looking him firmly in the eyes. With an air or reluctance about him, he and the other three Noghri slowly crept away from the man.

He smiled slightly, and then a solemn look came back over his face.

The man slowly raised his hand above the table, several objects grasped in his fist.

He set his hand on the table over these objects, and then removed his hand, displaying them for Leia to see. there was an Imperial rank plaque, the three red and three blue squares reflecting in the light, alongside two code cylinders. The rank of a Colonel.

The man spoke. "I am the former leader of the ISB, Colonel Wullf Yularen."

Leia was almost blown back into her seat, her eyes widening slightly. Rebel command assumed that Yularen was killed on the first Death Star.

"Did you not die on the first Death Star with Tarkin?" she asked, slightly in awe.

Yularen smiled a sad smile. "Almost. I came very close to death, but I managed to escape the Death Star moments before its destruction."

Leia thought back to the Imperial war machine, to the Death Star, and the destruction of Alderaan. She again glanced at the man facing her and felt nothing but anger to the imperial agent. He was surely caught trying to infiltrate the palace.

Leia paused her thought. this man had willingly sought her out. "Why have you come to me Colonel?" she asked him, curious.

Yularen gave off a sigh. Leia sensed that this was a man who was exhausted, not so much physically as mentally through the years. He began speaking. "Ever since its creation, I served the Empire. I fought in the name of the Emperor, and everything I had been so carefully led to believe in."

He paused to think. "I did terrible things in the name of the Empire." He paused again, as Leia's thoughts drifted back to the destruction of Alderaan. "It took me a long time to realize that my whole life, I had been fighting on the wrong side of the battle. Only a few rotations ago did I finally realize that I had been fighting on the side of Tyranny, under the guise of order."

He looked down at his hands, and then back up at Leia. "I want to help the right side. So much of my life has been spent in war, and in fighting. So many lives lost." He trailed away.

"I want to help the Republic sweep away the last remnants of the Empire. If I can help stop the war and allow peace to preside over the galaxy, then I will."

Leia sat back in her chair, very surprised. It took a second for her to gather her thoughts and respond. "How can I believe you?"

Yularen held up his hands, palms up. "You have no way of knowing whether I am telling the truth or lying. You must trust me."

Leia leaned forwards, searching his face for any sign of deceit. Looking carefully, she found none. Leia leaned back in her chair and asked her next question. "Why me Colonel?"

Yularen smiled again. "I served your father in the clone wars, and in the Empire. Although I have never met you Senator, you were the only person that I could think to come to."

"How do you plan to help the Republic?" she asked him.

"Senator," he said seriously. "I worked in the Imperial Security Bureau. Few people know more about the Empire than I do." He paused, his face getting even darker. "And, I have learned of some recent events that I wish to inform the Republic of as soon as possible."

Leia leaned forwards. "Then tell me now, Colonel."

Yularen shook his head. "I mean the whole assembled Senate and High Command, Senator."

"Very well." Said Leia, still not sure if she was handling this whole situation in the best way possible. "I will arrange a meeting as soon as possible."

Yularen gave off another slightly sad smile. "Thank you very much Senator, for your trust. I will do everything that I can for this Republic." Leia looked at his face and was almost scared by the intensity with which he spoke.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

The _Chimaera_ glided purposely through space, flanked by three _Interdictor-class_ Star Destroyers.

Pellaeon stood at the bridge of the ship, looking out into the darkness of space, watching the far pinpricks of light. A call from behind him brought him out of his trance.

"Sir!" Pellaeon sighed, instantly recognizing Commander Dreyf's voice.

He straightened, and turned, facing the Commander. Dreyf came to an abrupt halt in front of Pellaeon, one hand held stiffly at his side, holding a datapad, the other locked in a firm salute.

"Yes Commander?" Pellaeon asked. "What can I do for you?" the man relaxed, letting his other arm drop to his side, and held his datapad out to Pellaeon.

"Sir, we have a heavily coded transmission." The man paused, still not used to having Thrawn back commanding the fleet. "The message is made out to the Grand Admiral, Sir."

Pellaeon quickly glanced at the man, his eyebrows furrowed. "I hope for your sake, Commander, that you made no efforts to decode this document."

The man swallowed. "No Sir."

"Good." Pellaeon responded. "You are dismissed, Commander."

The man saluted again, and then turned and strode off to go attend to the Comm section. Pellaeon followed him with his eyes. A competent fellow, he thought to himself. A little rough around the edges, but he would make a great leader one day. Eventually.

Pellaeon glanced at his chrono. The Grand Admiral would be in his quarters right now, studying the Republic fleet- no, the Rebel fleet, thought Pellaeon, correcting himself.

Sweeping his gaze over the bridge, he briskly strode towards Thrawn's quarters, his black boots echoing across the bridge on the shiny floor.

* * *

Pellaeon arrived at Thrawn's secondary bridge, and the door slid soundlessly open, beckoning him to enter.

Pellaeon walked through the hallway and small entrance room towards the main section of his chambers, half expecting Rukh to appear from the shadows, wielding a sharp looking knife.

No Noghri appeared out of thin air, coming to ensure that he wasn't a threat to the Grand Admiral.

No, instead, four Imperial Royal Guards shimmered into existence into the seconds-earlier empty hallway, towering in front of him.

A muscle in Pellaeon's face faintly twitched, and his eyes widened slightly, but other than that, he gave off no reaction. "I have come to see the Grand Admiral, concerning a report we have recently received."

The Guards viewed Pellaeon through their black visors, eventually gesturing for him to pass. When Pellaeon looked back they had again disappeared, leaving the hallway empty.

He slowly strode into the Grand Admirals chambers and was unsurprised to find Thrawn, and the room, bathed in subdued orange light, as a series of Mon Calamari star cruisers slowly rotated across the bridge.

"Those guards have cloaking suits?" he asked Thrawn, pointing back down the hallway.

He nodded. "They do indeed Captain. A little something that I had installed for an extra level of security."

Thrawn sat forwards in his chair, hands clasped at his face, his red eyes watching the ships. He slowly sat back in his chair and turned to face Pellaeon.

"Please Captain, come in." he said, gesturing to the surrounding room, beckoning Pellaeon forwards, in a careful and precise motion.

Pellaeon stepped into the room, walking past the double repeater rings, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Thrawn.

"Tell me Captain," he said, waving at the various ships displayed in front of him. "Take a look. What do you think of these ships?"

Pellaeon's eyes moved from ship to ship, studying each one carefully before moving on. Pellaeon recognized a few, such as The _Profundity_ , and The _Invisible Faith_. They all had the rounded edges, and the bulbous hulls that Pellaeon had grown to despise. They looked nothing like the pristine Imperial Star Destroyer.

"They are very…" Pellaeon chose his words carefully. "Interesting sir." Pellaeon began, trying to not show his deep dislike of the ships. "They have so sense of uniform, or conformity." He paused. "They are almost chaotic, like the Rebellion themselves."

Pellaeon turned to Thrawn, and managed to hold his gaze without looking away. "Impressive. You are correct Captain." Thrawn turned back towards the ships, speaking dreamily. "Each one is different, unique. They are all very distinctive, each with an individual set of details." Thrawn paused, eyeing each ship.

"These ships are all different pieces of art. They can reveal a great deal about the Mon Calamari as a species, and about the people who command these ships." Thrawn tapped a few keys on his chair, and the ships disappeared, replaced by one that Pellaeon instantly recognized.

Thrawn glanced at Pellaeon. "You recognize this ship, Captain?"

"Yes Sir." Pellaeon responded. "This is the Home one, Admiral Ackbar's flagship." The very ship, he thought to himself, that had led the attack on the second Death Star, and had ushered in the new age of the Republic.

"Very good Captain." Responded Thrawn, his gaze again turned to look at the miniature Home one. "This ship can reveal a great deal to us, about Ackbar himself."

After a few seconds of admiring the ship, Thrawn shut down the hologram projection, and turned to face Pellaeon. "Now captain. I believe that you have something for me?"

"Yes Sir." Responded Pellaeon, glancing down at the datapad. "We have a transmission for you from—" he glanced at it again. This couldn't be right. An error, perhaps.

None the less, he spoke. "This transmission appears to be from the imperial palace on Coruscant Sir."

Thrawn smiled, his red eyes boring through Pellaeon. "Thank you, Captain." He said, as Pellaeon handed the report to Thrawn. He plugged the datapad into his chair, and decoded it, reading through it thoroughly.

When he had finished, he rose from his chair, gloved hands clasped behind his back. "Very well Captain." He nodded. "It appears that our Delta source has been brought back from the dead." He paused, carefully choosing his words. "In another form, perhaps."

Pellaeon swallowed. He had never liked the almost mystical information source from where the Grand Admiral had drawn all his data. what had puzzled him even more was the fact that he had never figured out who, or what, Delta source was.

Apparently, his emotions were clearly displayed on his face; the Grand Admiral smiled at Pellaeon's discomfort. "You still don't trust Delta source Captain?"

Pellaeon shook his head. "No Sir. I have never been able to trust something that I am not entirely familiar with."

Thrawn nodded. "Fair enough Captain. However, Delta source is in place, and prepared to begin transmitting data. Please send all reports to me as soon as they arrive."

Pellaeon nodded, and was about to speak, but was interrupted by the alarm klaxons of the Star Destroyer, the shrill call splitting the air.

As he quickly turned to the viewport to look out into the surrounding space, he saw an Imperial light frigate come out of hyperspace flanked by a squadron of tie fighters, heading full speed towards The _Chimaera._

Their speed was soon explained, as a Mon Cala cruiser dropped out of hyperspace, flanked by two Nebulon-B's on either side, chasing the Imperial ship.

Pellaeon prepared to give the order to retreat, but before he could, Dreyf's voice sounded over the intercom. "Bridge to the Grand Admiral. Sir, we've come under attack! The Rebel fleet has just dropped out of hyperspace!"

Thrawn tapped the intercom switch. "Excellent Commander. Raise the shields, Fire three rounds with the Turbolasers, and then rotate the ship in preparation for a jump to Hyperspace."

Pellaeon raised an eyebrow, although he had learned better than to question his superiors.

Thrawn quickly tapped a few keys, just at the first red bolts began to lance out from he Chimaera's numerous cannons.

On the bridge, the ship leading the Republic attack appeared in front of Pellaeon, as a smaller hologram, lazily rotating around.

Thrawn beckoned Pellaeon closer. "Watch Captain." He began. "This is the Mon Cala ship leading the attack." He pointed out specific parts of the ship. "Note the aggressive lines, and slightly sharper edges of this specific vessel."

Pellaeon strained his eyes, and could make out some of the sharper edges in contrast with the average smooth lines of normal Mon Calamari ships.

"Also note, the ideal placed weapon blisters, forgoing shielding for weapons." He paused, leaning back in his chair, glancing at Pellaeon, as a strange smile played about his lips. "Whoever is commanding this vessel is a very dangerous person. They will attack relentlessly, until they have totally destroyed their enemy, or are incapable of any further attack."

Thrawn deactivated the hologram, and rose from his chair, moving towards the viewport, closely surveying the battle. "This is a weakness that we will use to our advantage."

He again tapped the intercom, as the lasers flew out from The _Chimaera_. "That's just fine Commander. Now, please rotate The _Chimaera_ so that our bow is pointed out into open space."

As Pellaeon watched, the red bolts of energy coming from the ship became less and less, until the _Chimaera_ had stopped firing entirely.

"I am afraid that I still do not totally understand your methods Sir." Responded Pellaeon, as he also closely watched the battle. "Why only fire three rounds, and not commit to a stronger attack?"

Thrawn turned his head slightly. "We wouldn't want to scare them off, now would we Captain?"

Thrawn again activated his comm. "Commander, please activate the _Interdictor's_ gravity wells in sector four."

There was a pause. "But Sir, that places them directly above the Rebel fleet."

Thrawn's lips turned down in displeasure, his red eyes narrowing. "Commander, you are to properly execute all my orders as soon as they are given." He paused, allowing the man time to reflect on his actions. "Now, do as I have commanded."

Dreyf gulped, noticeably. "Y-yes sir."

Thrawn pointed at the Mon Calamari ship. "Notice, Captain, how they have increased to flank speed, hoping to catch us before our jump."

Pellaeon had indeed noticed this, however, he still could not fully grasp why they had attacked and then ran off.

A ping from the tactical display brought Pellaeon out of his thoughts. "Sir, the nav computer has finished its calculations. We are prepared to make the jump to hyperspace and join The _Death's Hand_ in the Muunilinst system at your command.

Thrawn held up a hand. "No Captain, we are not going to jump. Keep our current course, but slow to cruising speed, and prepare to turn back into the battle." He beckoned Pellaeon over. "Come watch Captain. Let's take a look, shall we?"

Pellaeon joined the Grand Admiral at the viewport. Thrawn glanced down to consult his crono, and then looked back up at the battle. "Any second now." He muttered softly.

Suddenly the space above the Rebel fleet gave a flicker of pseudomotion, and The _Moderator_ appeared, looming over the Republic fleet, it's mass totally eclipsing them in shadow.

Thrawn gave off a smile, the satisfaction unmistakable in his face. "And now, they realize their error." He paused. "Alas, it is too late for them now."

Pellaeon couldn't help but smile himself. "You signaled to The _Moderator_ as we examined their fleet, didn't you sir?"

Thrawn nodded. "Very good Captain."

Seconds later, the comm started pinging. Pellaeon looked down, and brought his head up, slightly surprised. "Sir, the Rebel fleet is hailing us. They wish to surrender immediately. Shall we respond?"

Thrawn turned away from the viewport, holding up his hand in a carefully measured motion. "Are you familiar with the now deceased Grand Moff Tarkin, Captain?"

Pellaeon nodded. Tarkin was a name known by all Imperial personnel, despite his disastrous death on the first Death Star.

"Then Captain," Thrawn asked Pellaeon. "Are you familiar with the Tarkin doctrine?"

"No sir." Responded Pellaeon, shaking his head. He had heard its name mentioned before, but had never actually read the doctrine.

"The doctrine states, Captain, that the best way to rule, is through fear of force, not actual force itself." He paused. "Tarkin believed, rightly so, that fear was as strong as a physical weapon."

"His only undoing however, was that he believed his doctrine could be implemented at all times." Thrawn shook his head. "It has its time and its place." Thrawn paused again. "That time is now, and that place is here."

The pings became more frequent. "Make no response Captain." Thrawn warned.

He then tapped his intercom. "Commander, alert the _Moderator_ that they are to open fire on the rebel ships, solely with ion cannons." He paused. "We do not want to harm our prize."

"Also, bring the _Chimaera_ back to flank speed, and move to join the battle, while pulling the interdictors back, and out of harm's way."

He paused. "I assume that you have been jamming their transmissions, Commander?"

Dreyf stood a bit taller. "As soon as they arrived in the system Sir."

Thrawn nodded, turning back to the viewport, to watch the lights on the attack force slowly blink out, as they began to lose power, floating uncontrollably through the darkness of space created by the moderator.

A slight smile played across Thrawn's face, and Pellaeon had to agree. It was quite a sight to behold.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Han walked into their suite. "Leia?" he called. She had disappeared from the senate meeting while he was still arguing with Fey'lya.

A bad taste came in his mouth at the thought. Fey'lya. Whose side was he on anyway? Han didn't know. As he peered around the corner, he found someone, just not who he was looking for

"Why hello captain Solo!" Threepio's cheerful voice rung out. "How were the Senate proceedings?"

Han sighed. "Hey goldenrod." He went to the dresser and began to strap on his blaster. "The senate was the worst." He shook his head. "They are incapable of doing anything, and Fey'lya basically controls everything and everyone now."

Han tugged at the blaster to make sure that it was firmly strapped onto his leg. "By the way Threepio, have you seen Leia anywhere? I can't seem to track her down."

Threepio turned to look at Han. "I'm sorry Captain Solo. I do believe that she is currently at her office, close to the senate chambers."

Han sighed. All the way back towards the senate room. He walked out of the suite. "keep things under control until I return Threepio." And with that, he closed the door, and made his way back down the hall towards the senate room.

Han glanced at the now empty pots lining the hall that had once held the Ch'hala trees. He shivered remembering Thrawn's spynet and how it acted as his direct ear into the palace.

Fortunately, Han reminded himself, he was gone now.

Han arrived at Leia's office and opened the door without knocking. He found four Noghri, assorted around her office. Han also saw Leia standing in the corner, with Winter at her side.

Right in front of him, Han saw a man dressed in a harsh white tunic and crisp black pants.

The man slowly turned to face him, as Han equally slowly drew his blaster from its holster. The man had four code cylinders in his tunic, and a Imperial ranking plaque that proudly displayed the rank of Colonel.

Han brought his blaster up, preparing to squeeze down on the trigger.

Before he could fire, Leia jumped into his way, saving the man from his imminent death.

"Leia!" he shouted angrily. "What are you doing? This is an Imperial Colonel in your office!"

"I know, I know." She said soothingly, reaching for Han's blaster. He let her have it.

"what is he doing here?"

Leia spoke slowly, reassuring Han"He is an Imperial defector who has come help the Republic."

Yularen spoke, his slightly eloquent voice making Han shiver ever so slightly. "I am sorry if I startled you Captain." He paused. "what she says is true. I have come as a friend to the Republic."

Han put his hand on his hip, and stared at Leia, waving at Yularen. "Why didn't you tell me about all this?"

A smile came over Leia's face, despite Han's annoyance. "Sorry, but we didn't have time to discuss it as a committee."

Han attempted to keep his serious look, but instead smiled and then gave off a small chuckle. "Yea yea very funny." He paused, looking back at Yularen. "Now what are you planning to do with him?"

Leia glanced out her office, and then gingerly closed the door. "Former Colonel Yularen, here, is planning to testify in front of the Senate, to give them some piece of information that he wont tell me. Once that's done, he wants to join the Republic."

Han smiled. she was absolutely insane, and he loved her for it. Suddenly a serious expression raplced his smirk. "Alright Princess, I'll help, but when is this thing happening?"

"Leia looked down at her chrono. "Right now actually." She then looked back at Yularen. "We had better get going." He nodded, and the group walked out of her office, with Leia leading them towards the senate chambers. Han fell in step behind her, hand resting subconsciously on his blaster, with the four Noghri closely surrounding Yularen. Finally, Winter trailed gracefully behind the group.

They made their way to the chamber, and reached the door to the Alderaanian pod.

Leia hesitated for a brief second, and then opened the doors, ushering everyone through.

A quiet hush filled the chambers as they entered, as senators and officers alike scrambled to get a look at this Imperial officer.

Even Mon mothma, normally calm and collected, looked quite surprised. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Leia.

"Please chancellor, allow me to explain."

Mon mothma closed her mouth, and nodded at Leia. Leia looked through the immense chamber, her eyes sweeping over the senators before she spoke.

"Please, senators and officers, allow me to present the _former_ Colonel Yularen, of the Imperial remnant."

She moved to the side, as Yularen slowly stepped up towards the front of the pod, hands clasped at the small of his back. He spoke, his deep voice carrying out through the chamber, amplified by the audio modulators.

"Hello Senators, and officers of the New republic. As Senator Organa has already stated, I am the Former Colonel Yularen, head of the Imperial security Bureau." He paused.

"I have humbly come before you today to inform you of my choice to defect from the Empire, and Join the New Republic." There was a hushed sound of disbelief, but Yularen carried on.

"I can give you numerous reasons why I have chosen to do this, but I will only provide you with the main one."

Han leaned forwards. Suddenly intrigued.

"As I am sure you all are aware, in recent times, the Empire has been becoming more and more aggressive. They have begun moving more and more troops." He paused. "I have strong reason to believe that they are soon going to launch a first attack on the Republic, followed by a long campaign to take back the galaxy from the Republic.

For what seemed like a while rotation, no one spoke. It was total silence. Then, as if on cue, the combined shouts of thousands of senators filled the chamber.

"Lies!"

"impossibile!"

"The Empire is finished!"

"Deceit!"

Mon mothma attempted to speak out and above the thousands of voices, but the audio amplifiers were not stronger than the voices of the enraged senators.

Mon mothma slowly closed her mouth in defeat, knowing that it was futile to try to say anything.

Yularen looked back at Leia, a puzzled expression on his face. Leia too, was extraordinarily surprised by the noise; all she could do was look around her. Han just shrugged.

Eventually, the noise settled down, and Mon mothma spoke, her loud voice washing away any other senators wishing to voice their complaints. "Thank you, Senators. Now, let us continue with the proceedings."

She looked directly at Yularen. "you claim that." She paused. still having trouble to believe what he had said. "That the _already_ small Remnant is planning to take the galaxy back from the Republic?" she raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any proof of this?"

Yularen shook his head. "I am afraid that I do not Chancellor. I have only my word."

Mon mothma spoke again, her soothing voice filling the chamber. "What else do you have to offer the Republic?"

"I know the Empire, and I know it well, Chancellor, as former head of the ISB." He paused. "I can give much more information about the Empire, and about the strategies, and battle tactics of many high ranking personnel."

Mon mothma did not respond. Instead, she looked down at her computer console, and then back up at the Senators. "Senate, we have a urgent message coming from General Crix Madine."

She pressed a button on her console, and Madine appeared as a massive hologram in the middle of the chamber.

He spoke, standing strait at attention. "Senate, Chancellor, we recently lost a task force composed of one Mon Cala Cruiser, and two Nebulon-B frigates." He paused. They were conducting a routine inspection at Dantooine when they encountered an Imperial ship, and pursued it to the Ord Trasi system, where we lost contact with them.

He paused. "we sent another task force to go find what happened to them, however when that force arrived, they were surprised to find nothing. They had disappeared."

Mon mothma spoke. "What do you mean 'disappeared' General?"

He responded. "There was absolutely no sign of them. No ships, and no debris to suggest that they had been destroyed."

Mon mothma responded, a slightly troubled expression on her face. "Thank you General. Keep us informed."

He straightened into attention, and then faded away.

There was more silence. A whole task fleet, gone? Han would understand if it had been a few small corellian corvettes, but a Mon cala cruiser? He glanced at Ackbar, hoping the rebellion hadn't lost anyone very important.

Mon mothma sighed, and then spoke slowly and clearly, but firmly. The Republic is going to need to proceed forwards with extreme caution. I propose that we will move immediately into stage four alert, and will tighten our grip around the Imperial Remnant."

She paused. "I also propose that effective immediately, we will begin sending more ships towards the remnant, and all production facilities that have been deactivated are to immediately commence making weapons again."

She glanced at Ackbar, and he gave Mon mothma a solemn nod.

"Allow us now to vote on this act." she typed on her console. "Please vote now."

Han saw Leia look down at her console, and vote 'yes' on Mon mothma's preposition. He looked around the room to see all the other senators voting as well.

"When everyone had finished voting, Mon mothma looked up. "A majority of the senate has decided to move forwards with this plan." she looked at Ackbar. "I assume that you are able to move forwards with this immediately?"

Ackbar noded. I will begin with these procedures as soon as possible Chancellor."

Mon mothma then turned her attention to Leia, and the to Yularen. "We will accept your wish to Join the Republic, however we will need to question you immediately."

Yularen nodded. "I will be very happy to answer any question directed my way."

Some senators grumbled, but one voice stood out from the rest. That voice, Han thought, rather unsurprisingly, was Borsk Fey'lya's voice.

"Outrageous! How can we so easily trust the word of this Imperial spy! This plan will only lead to the destruction of the Republic! I move to immediately—"

Mon mothma cut him off, her voice slightly louder than normal. "The Senate has spoken Fey'lya. There will be no questioning of what is to happen. Understood?"

Fey'lya nodded.

Mon mothma looked at Leia again. "Moving on to other matters, Leia, the Caarites have recently sent a delegation to us, hoping to open talks to join the Republic." She paused. "They have always had good relations with the Jedi." She paused again.

"I was wondering if you could send Luke on this mission to Caarimon"

Leia nodded her head. "of course Chancellor. I will ask him at once."

Mon mothma gave a quick nod, and then turned back towards the rest of the senate. "Then, if there are no more matters to attend to, I hereby declare this meeting adjourned."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Luke sat cross legged on a padded chair in a dimly lit room surrounded by candles. His eyes were closed, and he was concentrating carefully, and intensely, on the dream that he had. He stretched out with the force, searching for the meaning of his dream.

He saw pieces, images of something- the future? Could it be a vision from the Force that had some sort of higher meaning?

He remembered the dream, the thousands of invisible fists and bodies weighing him down. Could they represent something? His fatal flaw perhaps? Luke shook his head. He always had had some difficulty with the non-physical aspect of the Force.

He shivered, remembering how he had been totally incapable of helping Mara, soly witness to her death. Her death, he reminded himself, that had never actually happened.

A quiet knock at the door of his chambers brought him out of his meditation. He again stretched out with the force, turning on the lights, while simultaneously creating force bubbles around all of the candles, deriving them of their oxygen, as they slowly flickered out.

"Please," he called at the person on the other side of the door. "Enter."

The door opened, and Leia stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Her eyebrow raised slightly. "I'm sorry Luke, am I interrupting something?" she asked. "I could come back, if you prefer."

Luke shook his head. "Please, take a seat." he turned towards her as she sat down on another chair facing him. She took a deep breath. Luke smiled. "Exhausted?" he suggested.

She let out a laugh. "The Senate is taking up all my time." she held up her hand. "And don't say it, Luke, I want to work on my Jedi training too, but I just don't have the time right now. I am planning to ask Mon mothma if I can divert more of my time to Jedi training."

Luke smiled again. "Well it appears as though you have your mind reading skill perfected Leia." his face turned slightly more serious. "I sense that you didn't come to me only to tell me how busy you are."

"No I haven't," she responded. "Mon mothma was wondering if you could go on another diplomatic mission, this time to Caarimon."

"I would be happy to go." he paused, thinking seriously. "However, I must warn you that my diplomatic skills are far from perfect, especially after that Eythyr incident."

Leia smiled again. "You will have to leave immediately. They are waiting as we speak." she paused. "And, Luke, try to not upset the locals this time."

Luke rose. "Thank you Leia." he then strode out of the room, heading in the direction of the hanger. He reached for his comlink to tell them to begin preparing his ship.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

The _Chimaera_ cruised through space, flanked on both sides by the _Death's Hand_ , and on the other side, The _Judicator_.

Thrawn stood on the Bridge of the _Chimaera_ , next to Pellaeon, as he read over the most recent report from Delta source. Whoever Delta source was, Pellaeon thought to himself, had a lot of time on his hands. These reports seemed to be coming in daily now.

Thrawn looked up from his report, a small smile on his face. "Interesting." he said to himself.

Thrawn turned to Pellaeon, his gloves reflecting the light of the ship. "It would appear that none other than Luke Skywalker has been sent to Caarimon on a peaceful delegation in the name of the Rebellion." he paused, a thoughtful look on his face.

Thrawn turned to the navigational officer, and the man straightened noticeably, wanting to show the Grand Admiral his best. "Please calculate the distance to Caarimon Lieutenant." the man began to tap at his console as Thrawn turned back towards Pellaeon. His red eyes stared into the distance as he thought. Suddenly his gaze refocused on Pellaeon. "If I am correct, you recorded and saved the starfighter battle in Csilla, Captain?"

Pellaeon nodded, through he did not understand exactly why the Grand Admiral had brought that battle up. "I did indeed sir." Thrawn turned his back towards Pellaeon, and made his way over to the tactical display, with Pellaeon following.

Thrawn gestured at Pellaeon, beckoning him over. "Let's take another look at this battle Captain, shall we?"

Thrawn tapped at the display, and began the recording. They watched as the Republic ships attempted to flee to the edge of the planets gravity, in a desperate bid to make a jump to hyperspace, and then break formation to engage the faster Imperial Tie fighters.

A few moments into the battle, Thrawn paused the recording, and enlarged it onto one ship. "As I am sure you realized, Captain, this freighter was none other than the _Millennium Falcon_ , Captained by Han Solo."

Pellaeon nodded. "I did realize that sir. It was at that moment that I ordered the _Chimaera_ to open fire on his ship, and for the tractor beams to be activated."

Thrawn nodded, resuming the recording, letting it run through. As it finished Thrawn looked back up at Pellaeon. "We can clearly see that Captain Solo is an experienced pilot. He destroyed a great many Tie fighters, without taking a great amount of damage." Thrawn paused again. "However Captain, did you manage to notice the other ship that seems to excel in starfighter combat as well?"

Pellaeon nodded again, pointing out the X-wing. "I did sir, however I could not identify anything very exceptional about it, so I decided to instead focus our efforts on the _Millenium Falcon_."

Thrawn also pointed at the ship. "Ah, but Captain, your error becomes evident. There is something that is very special about the Pilot of this ship." Thrawn brought the recording to a certain point, playing it. "Notice Captain, how that Tie fighter fires from almost point blank range at the Rebel ship, yet its pilot is still able to dodge the shot, almost as if he could feel it coming?"

Pellaeon watched the recording again. It was very strange. Thrawn was right. The Tie fired a blast very close to the X-wing, yet the ship still managed to dodge somehow. Pellaeon was sure that this was not something an average, or even very skilled pilot was capable of.

He looked up to find a small smile on the Grand Admirals face. "So Captain, you do realise that there is something special about this pilot, other than his ability to so easily destroy our Tie fighters."

Thrawn resumed the recording, stopping it only seconds later. "Let's take a look here. Now, also notice captain, how the ship seems to stop for a minute, almost to watch Han solo's excellent piloting?"

Pellaeon did see it. It was almost as if the ship was dead in space.

Thrawn spoke again, sure of himself. "This leads me to conclude that whoever is piloting this ship is acquaintance with Han solo, or someone on his vessel."

Thawn turned to look at Pellaeon. "Now, Captain, is there anyone you could think of who flies a Rebel X-wing, has highly tuned reflexes, and might personally know Captain Solo?"

Pellaeon though for a minute, and then the answer hit him, his eyes widening. "Skywalker." he said quietly, with an air of surprise. "Skywalker was at that battle, and he was flying that X-wing."

Thrawn smiled. Not a nice warm smile, but a cold, calculating smile, one that Pellaeon had assumed many men had seen seconds before their destruction. "Exactly Captain. The pilot of that ship was none other than our friend Luke Skywalker, who is flying to Caarimon as we speak."

He paused, slowly shutting down the Holo display. "Luke Skywalker, who one might argue is an even better prize than Solo himself, and the _Millennium Falcon_."

The officer at the Navigation system interrupted their conversation. "Caarimon is only twenty minutes from our current position, traveling at Light speed, Sir."

Thrawn turned towards the Helmsman. "Please inform the _Judicator_ and the _Death's Hand_ that we will be shortly leaving the fleet, and then make the jump to Caarimon as soon as possible lieutenant."

Thrawn then turned back towards Pellaeon, a thoughtful look on his face. "Captain, how many information agents of Talon Karrde's do we have access to?"

As the stars turned into starlines, and the Chimaera mader its way into hyperspace, Pellaeon frowned, slightly surprised by Thrawn's question. It was not normal procedure during a Hyperspace jump to discuss other matters. However, when Thrawn found the general rules to be ineffective, he changed them.

Pellaeon looked down at his datapad, searching for the list of Karrde's agents that the Empire had accessible to them. He looked up at Thrawn, whose hands were still clasped at his back.

"Around thirty thousand Sir."

Thrawn smiled. "Excellent Captain. It may appear as though we have a very special opportunity coming up for us." he paused, thinking for a moment. "Have Intelligence spread a rumor to a few thousand of Karrde's contacts that the Empire is planning something at Caarimon."

He paused, allowing Pellaeon time to gather this information. "We want this rumor to be something important enough that Karrde sends one of his top men, but chooses to not go himself."

"But sir, how can we be sure that Karrde will send someone?"

Thrawn turned to look at Pellaeon, his white uniform bright in contrast with the grey of the Star Destroyer. "Karrde is, by name, a smuggler Captain." he paused. "However, in reality, he does not smuggle goods. He smuggles information." Thrawn paused again. "I have studied Karrde's art, and his tactics. I know how he thinks, Captain. He values information above all else. I am confident that he will send someone, if not just for the information."

Suddenly it hit Pellaeon. "You are hoping to capture Mara Jade along with Skywalker sir?"

Thrawn nodded. "Very perceptive Captain. I believe that the former Emperor's hand, along with Skywalker, would form quite the prize." he paused. "But also quite the opposition."

"But sir, how can you be sure that Karrde will send Mara Jade?"

Thrawn shrugged eloquently. "I cannot be sure Captain. I only know that it is possible, and worth trying to see."

Thrawn pointed behind him, as five guardsmen shimmered into existence. "In order to capture them successfully, I will be sending a unit of my own personal guards, Captain." he paused again. "They will not fail, as the Nogori might have."

Thrawn gestured at the guards to come closer, and one stepped towards him. "Prepare your ship. You are to bring Skywalker and the Former Emperors hand to me." he paused. "Alive." He paused again. "If that is not possible, you may eliminate them."

The guardsman crisply nodded, and then strode out of the bridge, his other four comrades falling in step behind him, as they slowly disappeared, their cloaking shields activating.

Pellaeon shivered slightly. There was something unnerving, unnatural about watching those bright red clad men disappear. That, and the fact that they radiated death. Those men were machines whose sole purpose was to kill, and Pellaeon knew it.

A call from the helmsman interrupted Pellaeons thoughts. "Sir, we will be arriving out of hyperspace shortly in the Caarimon system"

Thrawn nodded, and they both stepped up towards the forward viewport just in time to see the starlines turn into stars, as they made their way back into realspace.

Pellaeons eyebrow rose. From space, it looked like a very average planet, not especially civilized either. Green was the prominent color, giving away the forest and jungle nature of the planet.

Pellaeon watched as an Imperial shuttle made its way down to the green surface, carrying Thrawn's personal guards.

Thrawn allowed himself a small smile as he again turned towards the Helmsman. "Set course for a nearby system, such as the Exodo system." he turned back towards Pellaeon. "We don't want to be so far away that we cannot provide assistance, now do we Capitan?"

Thrawn than began to make his way off the bridge of the ship, gesturing for Pellaeon to follow. "Please come Captain. We have much to discuss."

Pellaeon followed closely. "We do sir?"

Thrawn nodded, a very intense look on his face. One that made Pellaeon shiver. "I have finished dividing our campaign to take back the galaxy Captain."

Pellaeon nodded with a small gulp. He would not like to ever meet Thrawn in battle.

With that, the Bridge door slammed shut behind them with a hiss, leaving Thrawn to inform Pellaeon of his plans.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Han called back at Chewie sitting in the gunsport. "Hey fuzzball!" he looked out the viewport, scanning their surrounding space. "I don't see any Imperials. You can come down from the gunport and join me in the cockpit!"

Han heard a muted roar in response, followed by another grunt.

"I know I know. I'll fly careful."

Han slowly pressed down on the Etheric rudder, sending the falcon heading into the planet's atmosphere.

He had gotten the call from Karrde, and couldn't ignore it. It was often that Karrde provided extremely useful information for Han, especially about the Empire.

After a few seconds, Chewbacca walked into the cockpit, and took a seat in to copilots chair, flipping a few switches on the ships roof, as he growled something sarcastic.

Han glanced over at him with a hurt look on his face. "I do not."

Chewbacca let out a chuckle, and then nodded his head vigorously.

With the hurt look still on his face, Han turned his gaze back towards the planet, and the quickly approaching landing pad. He flipped a switch, and the landing gear slowly folded out with a hiss.

They set down on the planet with a bump, the tan coloring and slightly rocky environment reminding Han of Tatooine.

He disembarked from the ship with Chewbacca following closely behind. The duo made their way over to the spaceport cantina; the agreed meeting place with Karrde.

Outside, a handful of men hung about the entrance, some looking slightly shadier than others. Han recognised a few from Karrde's organization. His words rung in his head. 'Solo, I always bring backup.' Han smiled. Karrde apparently still kept up on his high profile.

They strode into the entrance of the dimly lit Cantina, some music playing as his eyes glanced from booth to booth, searching for Karrde's figure. Han's eyes drifted to the booth in the corner. It was dimly lit, perfect for shady conversations. Han saw a single man at the booh drown his drink, his eyes meeting Han's.

Han walked over to the booth, and slid in, with Chewbacca following closely behind. Karrde smiled. "Good to see you Solo."

A waiter droid walked over to their table. "Can I get you anything?" she asked politely. Han thought for a second.

"I'll take a nice Jawa beer." he paused. "The older, the better."

Han then turned to Karrde, a serious expression on his face, his voice low. "So, Karrde, I hear that you may have some news for me?"

Kardde slowly stirred his drink, admiring its color. He looked up at Han. "well Solo, I recently found out that you lost a whole task force down at Ord Trasi." he took a sip of his drink, as Han scowled at him. "Very sloppy. Very careless losing a whole task force like that." he paused, to take another sip of his drink. "And then, there's the fact that it just disappeared." he glanced at Han. "a whole Mon Cala cruiser gone. It's not that often that something like this happens. Pellaeon must be getting more and more ambitious.

"Wow." Han shook his head, marveling at Karrde. "You know Karrde, when the told me that you brokered information, I didn't think that you were that good." he paused, as his drink arrived. "I can't even have a conversation on comlink about buying bread, without you hearing about it."

Chewbacca growled in agreement, and then snorted something else.

Han glanced around them at the other people in the cantina. "I agree with Chewie . Karrde, why did you bring us here, other than to tell me about our missing task force?"

Karrde's eyes swept around the bar, searching face after face, as he took another sip of his drink. "I'm about to meet a contact of mine." Karrde paused. "He says that he has information, straight from the Empire."

Han sat back in his seat. So. More information on the Empire, the faction that should have been dead ages ago.

Suddenly Karrde perked up. "He's here." he said, pointing at a man that had just entered the bar. The man slowly strode over to their booth, every once and a while looking behind him. He slid in next to Karrde.

"A fine day for a drink?" asked Karrde, a fake smile on his face.

The man responded happily. "I'd agree, but not for any kind of drink. I think that today I'd only take a Ithorian mist."

Karrde leaned forwards, his jovial expression now replaced by a serious one when the code had finished. "Were you followed here?"

The man shook his head. "I don't think so, no."

"So, what information do you have for me today?" Karrde asked his contact.

The man glanced at Han and Chewbacca. "First, who are they, and what are they doing here?" he pointed at them.

"They're friends, and They're trustable, don't worry." Karrde responded.

Chewie snorted out a comment.

"Yea he's right." said Han, pointing his thumb at chewbacca as he took a drink. "Us and Karrde go a long ways back."

The man seemed to relax a little. "Alright then." he paused. "I've come across a piece of information that I think the Empire wouldn't like me, nor you to know." he glanced around them. "The Empire is planning something big at Caarimon." he paused again. "Something really big."

Han leaned forwards even more- if that was possible. "what? What are they planning?"

The man sat back in his chair, and shrugged. "I couldn't figure that out. I've told you everything that I know.

Han also sat back in his chair. Chewbacca growled softly at Han.

"I know Chewie, I know." he said in response. Luke was running some sort of diplomatic mission to Caarimon. It was a trap, Han was almost sure of it.

He slowly rose from the booth. "Alright thanks Karrde. If that's all, I gotta get the Falcon going to Caamiron. Luke's over there on some sort of mission, and this screams 'trap' at me."

Karrde also rose out of the booth. "Aright. I think that I may be sending one of my agents to Caamiron as well, just to see what the Empire is up to."

Before they could leave, about a dozen men ran into the Cantina, wielding blasters, with Imperial Navy patches proudly displayed on their arms.

Their leader stepped forwards to speak. "Attention. We are looking for Talon Karrde, and any of his associates. Please come forwards, in the name of the Empire."

Han swore under his breath. "Imperial Navy troops." he glanced at Karrde. "What should we do?"

Karrde glanced at his contact. "I thought you said you weren't followed."

He shrugged, his face contorted into surprise. "I didn't think that I was." the man paused. "If they tracked me down all the way here, my information must be really important."

Han looked up as the imperial troops slowly made their way over to their booth. he then glanced over at Karrde again. Karrde slowly raised his hand, curing his fingers into a fist, then pointing at the Navy troops.

Suddenly, about half of the people in the bar jumped up, blasters in hand. In a matter of seconds, the imperial troops were outnumbered, and surrounded on all sides by Karrde's men.

Han sighed and then grinned as chewbacca chuckled next to him. It appeared that Karrde liked more security than Han initially thought.

Karrde slowly rose and walked over to the troops. "I am Talon Karrde. I believe that you were looking for me?"

The Imperial leader gave a sigh of defeat. "Listen." Karrde paused thoughtful. "We don't want to have a shootout in this nice establishment, so if you all slowly put your guns down on the floor, we can all walk out of here alive, and go our separate ways."

The with an air of reluctance, the Imperial men slowly set their blasters on the floor of the Cantina. "That's perfect." said Karrde.

Then, he slowly ushered the Imperial troops out of the cantina at blastpoint, muttering under his breath. "Easy now. Slowly." when they exited the Cantina, Karrde spoke again. "Now, if you wish to survive this ordeal, you are all going to walk that way" Karrde pointed down the street. "As fast as you can."

He then pointed down the other way. "We are gonna go that way. Let's do this slowly and easily."

Karrde slowly walked down the street, followed by his men, and Han and Chewbacca. The Imperials slowly walked the other direction.

Han turned towards Karrde. "Well. you handled that rather well."

Karrde grinned. "Lots of experience." he glanced behind him. "We should hurry though. As soon as we cant see them, they are gonna go back to the Cantina, and get their blasters."

Han nodded in agreement. "I have to get going to Caarimon to see if I can help Luke out."

Karrde glanced at Han. "Well then, you might be seeing my agent."

Han stopped walking and held out his hand. Karrde shook it. "Well, I hope to see you soon Karrde." Karrde nodded in agreement, and with that, they went their separate ways; Karrde to the _Wild Karrde_ , and Han to the _Falcon_.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Luke flew through the immense cloud layer towards the Jungle planet below him. Artoo warbled something, the translation coming up on Luke's scope. He spoke in response, turning his head slightly to get a look at the robot. "I agree Artoo. This planet has as many clouds as Dagobah."

Suddenly the X-wing broke through the cloud layer, and the planet came into view. Luke sucked in a breath. Leia had told him that Caarimon would be beautiful, but the immense greenery and blue water below him were stunning. Luke could almost feel the strong life Force of the plants and animals living together on the planet.

Luke looked closely at the planet, and could see the massive Caarimon cities hovering above the planet. He shook his head in amazement. Apparently, there weren't any actual cities on the planet, apart from a few small villages. All the main cities had been lifted off the ground, and now they hung suspended in the air above the planet

Luke eased up on the Etheric rudder as the capital city, Kntronn came into view through the canopy.

He slowly landed his X-wing with a slight bump. He slowly opened the canopy, and started to walk out of the ship in order to meet the greeting party.

Artoo jabbered at him.

"No Artoo." responded Luke. "I need you to stay with the ship."

Artoo gave off what sounded suspiciously like an electronic sigh, and then slowly warbled an affirmative.

Luke jumped out of the cockpit to meet the greeting party, as four Caarites approached him, wearing long yellow robes, their alien short stature and large feet unsurprising to Luke. he noted that the Caarites were surrounded by a few guards, Luke assumed that this group must have been important.

When he looked around, he was slightly surprised to see a good amount of humans blending in with the Caarites. they apparently migrated here to join the Caarites.

He approached the delegation, and a Caarite stepped forwards to speak, his hands clasped in front of him. "Welcome Jedi Skywalker." the Caarite said in perfect Basic. "We welcome you to Caarimon, and hope to begin talks to join the New Republic shortly." he paused, smiling. "I am Yrmtdhr. I will be your guide until we can meet the senator of Caarimon."

Yrmtdhr gestured Luke forwards and the procession began to walk forwards, heading in the direction of the main senate building. Luke spoke first, slightly intrigued. "You speak perfect Basic?"

He nodded. "All Caarites are supposed to learn Caarimala, Galactic Basic, and at least one other language."

Luke nodded, interested. "I noticed that most all of your cities are floating." Luke paused, glancing at Yrmtdhr. "Why are none of them on the ground?"

He replied with a smile. "Many millennia ago, Caarimon was not the warm tropical jungle paradise that you see today." he paused. "Then a massive meteor strike hit our planet. The seasons drastically shortened, and the planet formed into this jungle paradise." he paused again, smiling. "We eventually discovered that our cities were starting to greatly pollute this new planet. It was at that moment that the government decided to bring the cities into the air using massive repulsorlifts."

Luke looked around him again. "Yout did this to preserve the plant and animal life on the ground?"

Yrmtdhr nodded. "Indeed, Jedi Skywalker."

Yrmtdhr paused as in thought. "If you would like, Jedi Skywalker, we could give a short tour of the planet underneath us, if you would like, before the debate process begins."

Luke nodded. "I would like that very much, Yrmtdhr, thank you."

As Luke glanced around again, he saw in the crowd of people and Caarites a bunch of fire red hair, that he thought he recognised. "Excuse me for a moment." he told Yrmtdhr, and ran over to the red haired person. As he got closer to her, he recognised her quickly.

Luke tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back in a quick efficient maneuver. He spoke through gritted teeth. "Mara, it's me!"

She slowly released him from her iron grip. "Sorry Skywalker. Old reflexes I guess." she paused. "Karrde told me that you might be here."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "He did, did he?"

She nodded, leaning in close to Luke. "Im sure that your wondering why im here?" luke nodded. "Right." Mara lowered her voice to a whisper. "We got a tip that the Empire is planning something here." she held up a hand. "I don't know what it is, but it's something important, that I know for sure."

Mara leaned back. "That's it." luke's eyebrows furrowed as the thought.

"Well, if the Empire is planning something, I think that we'll have a better chance if we stick together." Mara reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"As much as I hate to say it Skywalker, I think you're right." she glanced around her. "I'm already getting jumpy about this place." she paused. "Everyone is too happy. It gives me the creeps."

Luke waved her over. "Alright, come on then. You better meet my Caarite friends."

Mara introduced herself, as did Yrmtdhr, with a smile. However, Luke could be sure that he saw a look of uncertainty pass over his eyes, only for a moment. After a bit of walking, they walked towards the turbolifts that descended down to the surface of the planet.

They stepped into the lift, and Luke glanced at Mara. he then turned towards Yrmtdhr as the lift began to float down to the surface. "Does the turbolift also run on repulsorlifts?"

Yrmtdhr nodded. "You are correct, master Jedi. the same type ones that the cities use." The turbolift slowly touched down on the planet's surface. Luke was able to hear running water, birds chirping, and the various hum of life of the forest. He looked up and could see massive trees towering over him. They slowly stepped out of the turbolift onto the forest floor.

Luke's boot slowly sunk into the dirt a little, as he pushed a fern to the side to allow him to walk. Yrmtdhr stepped forwards, in front of them, leading the tour. "If you look around, you can see the unique mix of forest, and tropical jungle caused by the meteor strike." he pointed at a large tree that loomed over Luke. "That is a Manax tree." he paused. "They grow in large numbers, and very quickly. It can take a tree only three years to reach that size."

Luke slowly walked around the forest, heading towards an area that he could sense was full of life. He could see birds and animals scuttling around the floor. Luke closed his eyes. He felt like he knew this place, almost like he had been there before, although he was sure he had never visited Caarimon. Luke looked back and could see Mara closely following him, while the Caarites walked through a few trees, into a clearing surrounded by large ferns. For a few moments they were out of view, but Yrmtdhr called out to Luke.

"Come this way, Jedi skywalker, to see more wildlife!"

Luke and Mara turned towards Yrmtdhr's voice, and slowly walked over towards him, sepping over various plants, some scratching at Luke's legs. He called towards Yrmtdhr.

"Yrmtdhr, what species are these plants that are emitting green light?"

Luke listened for a response, but couldn't hear anything. He slowly walked into the large clearing surrounded by ferns, with Mara closely following him.

He instinctively rested his hand on his lightsaber as he looked around.

Yrmtdhr, nor any of the other Caarites were anywhere to be seen. "They're gone." whispered Mara, as Luke slowly grabbed his lightsaber. He heard a _snap-hiss_ behind him, and looked back to see that Mara had activated her own lightsaber. "I never trusted those guys." she paused. "Them, and their fake smiles."

Luke slowly detached his lightsaber from his belt and activated it as well. He gestured for her to follow him, and he slowly proceeded forwards, his senses amplified by the Force. "I got a bad feeling about this."

As luke made his way past the clearing, a bird let out a scream like call, and luke spun over to his left, startled by the sound.

Luke looked around him, taking in his surroundings. He slowly looked down at the ground, sucking in a large breath at what he saw.

Before him, on the ground, lay Yrmtdhr, along with the whole greeeting party. They were soaking in their own blood, dead. Their once yellow clothes were now stained red. Behind him, Luke could hear mara inhale as well. "They're dead." she said quietly as she looked around. "All of them."

Luke slowly approached Yrmtdhr. His pale eyes stared back at Luke, as he crouched down, to close Yrmtdhr's eyes. "May the Force be with you all." he said quietly. Suddenly, Luke noticed something. He looked closer at the bodies, and waived Mara over. "I think I see something."

She crouched next to him as he looked closer, and could see faint blood stained lines. "They were not killed by blaster." he paused, pointing at the marks. "More like some sort of knife, or sword."

Luke closed his eyes. This all felt so familiar. He had seen this place before, he knew it. He opened his eyes and glanced at Mara. He closed his eyes again, and suddenly it hit him. He had seen it in his vision. His eyes flew open.

"We have to get out of here!" he paused looking up at Mara. "Now!"

He jumped up, and started to run towards the Turbolift, with Mara hot in tow, his boots pounding against the dirt. Luke pulled out his lightsaber, just as the doors to the Turbolift started to close. In a final effort, he jumped towards the lift, slamming his lightsaber into the clear Duraplex exterior with a hiss.

Despite his attack, the turbolift started to rise back up towards the city at an alarming speed. Luke pulled his lightsaber out of the lift and deactivated it, hanging it back at his belt. He crouched down to try and jump up towards the lift, as it quickly gained height. Luke jumped up, as Mara shoved him towards the turbolift with the Force. Unfortunately, the lift was too fast, and gravity set in as Luke fell back towards the ground, landing in a roll.

He slowly stood up, brushing himself off. Luke again slowly pulled out his lightsaber and activated it with a _snap-hiss_. He turned towards Mara. she spoke, her eyebrow raised. "Why so desperate to get out of the jungle?"

He glanced around him. "I saw this place in a vision." he reached down to grab a handful of soil.

Mara smiled. "Skywalker. You saw this place in a vision." luke glared at her, and Mara's smile vanished, replaced by a mask of worry. "What did you see?"

Luke looked at her. "We were being attacked." he paused, looking around. "Attacked by Imperial guards." he glanced at her again. "And I think that in my vision, you might have." he paused. "That you might have died."

Mara looked around, her surprise barely showing other than a small twitch in her cheek. "Well, we had better try to prevent that from happening."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

In the Exodo system, the Chimaera glided silently through space.

Thrawn slowly turned away from the viewport and handed Pellaeon a datapad. Pellaeon glanced over it, his eyebrows raising as he became slightly surprised at what he read. He looked up at Thrawn. "I'm assuming that this is schematics for Balmorra sir?"

Thrawn nodded. "Indeed Captain." Pellaeon looked back down at the datapad. It was a very interesting plan. He looked back up at the Grand Admiral.

"We are to keep the engine units in the ship Sir? Thrawn nodded.

"Any essential systems may remain, however I want everything else to be taken out and replaced with that droid brain and those gravity well generators Captain." Thrawn paused to look out to the surrounding stars again. "I want construction to begin immediately Captain."

Pellaeon nodded, joining Thrawn to look out in the surrounding space. "As you wish Sir."

"Sir!" the call came from the portside crew pit, drawing both Pellaeon's, and Thrawn's attention. Thrawn nodded at the man, telling him to continue. "Urgent report coming in from Caarimon. Your task force has engaged the enemy on Caarimon." he paused and looked down at his console to continue reading the report. "They are currently tracking Skywalker." The man paused. "And Mara Jade, Sir."

Thrawn looked back up. "Excellent." he turned towards Pellaeon.

"Captain, make the jump to Caarimon Immediately." As Pellaeon strode over to the helmsman and navigational officer, Thrawn turned towards the Holotable and pressed the intercom, his voice drowning out the hum of activity. "This is Grand Admiral Thrawn. All pilots to your Tie fighters immediately. Be prepared to launch."

The Coordinates were set, and as Pellaeon watched, the stars turned to starlines and the Chimaera made her way into hyperspace.

Thrawn turned to Pellaeon, a small smile on his face. "Ready the tractor beams Captain."

Pellaeon frowned. "But sir, Skywalker has not ship at the current time."

Thrawn turned towards Pellaeon as the starlines turned back into stars, and they arrived at Caarimon. "One can never be too sure Captain. One can never be too sure."


	19. Chapter 19

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Luke slowly made his way across the forest floor, his boot cracking a branch, as Mara followed closely behind him, both their lightsabers humming, activated and held close to their faces, in an _en garde_ position.

They made their way through the trees, searching around them with the Force. Luke could feel several life forms on the very edge of his senses. They were humans, and even more worrying, they had already surrounded them. The humans were slowly herding Luke and Mara forwards.

Mara spoke softly. "They're getting closer Skywalker." Luke nodded.

"I know."

As they walked under a tree, several birds made loud calls, and then flew off, scared by Luke and Mara. Mara looked up at the tree, and Luke could sense that an idea had struck her. "Luke." she called. "We can continue going exactly where they want us to go, or we can have them come to us."

Luke glanced at Mara, raising an eyebrow. She pointed at one of the tall trees. "I say that we hide in one of the trees, and let them come to us."

Luke looked up at the tree, thinking hard. "I agree. We can't keep allowing them to herd us." luke deactivated his lightsaber, and clipped it to his belt, while Mara did the same.

She grabbed a branch of the tree, a few small pieces of the bark falling down to the dark floor. Luke looked around him as he pulled out his comlink, speaking into it.

"Artoo, are you there?" luke got a few warbles and electronic jabberings in response. Luke couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure that it's boring." Luke paused. "Now, Artoo, I need you to use the long range transmissions to try and contact Han." Artoo warbled an affirmative. "Tell him that I'm trapped in the jungle, and could use some help." Artoo again beeped in understanding.

Luke slowly clicked off the comlink, and then looked around again, stretching out with the Force. He could feel them getting even closer. Luke looked up at the tree, to find Mara high up, already camouflaged by leaves. Luke approached the tree, and grabbed a branch, pulling himself up.

He climbed up to the tree, joining Mara, as their hunters drew closer and closer, moving at a scarily quick speed through the forest.

Luke could feel the men drawing closer and closer. Soon, they were so close that Luke should have been able to hear them, able to hear something, crunching, the snap of a branch perhaps. Other than the hum of the forest, it was totally quiet. Luke could hear nothing.

After a few moments, luke could feel the men directly below him, standing at the base of the tree. They were so close. He could feel all thirteen of them easily. Luke looked down from the tree. Nothing. He could see the men through the Force, but he could not see them with his eyes.

Luke closed his eyes, feeling the men through the Force. He remembered Obi-wan's words. _Your eyes can deceive you Luke. Don't trust them_.

Luke opened his eyes, as the figures stood below them. He leaned in towards Mara. "You feel them as well?" she slowly nodded. Luke sighed quietly. "They must have some sort of cloaking device." Mara nodded back at Luke again. Luke and carefully looked down to where the people were supposed to be. There was only ferns and a few bushes.

Suddenly a single laser materialized out of thin air, soaring towards Luke's face. Luke's quick reflexes allowed him to move his head just in time, in order to dodge the blast as it hit the tree, sending a massive chunk of wood flying out towards the ground.

A second blast came only seconds later, but Luke had already managed to pull his lightsaber free from his belt, and activate it with a _snap-hiss_ , sending the laser flying back towards where it came from. It hit the ground, sending a chunk of dirt flying.

Slowly, thirteen Imperial Guardsmen shimmered into view below them, their blood red robes standing out unnaturally in the green of the forest. They all slowly detached double vibroblades from their belts, as the blades slowly extended to full length. The metal reflected in the sun.

Luke didn't want to fight. It wasn't the Jedi way, but in this situation, he recognised he had no choice. With a quick drop from the tree, Luke and Mara landed on solid ground. She activated her lightsaber, and they both brought them up into _en garde_ position, preparing for attack. In utter silence, the robed warriors charged at the duo. One heald his spear low at the ground, and quickly swept it upwards, aiming directly for Luke's head.

Luke jumped back, the spear narrowly missing his face, and he brought his lightsaber slashing downwards with a hum as he prepared to cut the double vibroblade into two pieces. To Luke's surprise, the lightsaber hit the vibroblade, and bounced off as the Guardsmen parried the attack.

Luke Jumped backwards, as did Mara. she spoke through gritted teeth. "They're blades are lined with Cortosis. Our lightsabers will be totally ineffective against them."

Suddenly, a Guardsmen jumped over Luke and Mara, flipping through the air. As soon as he landed, he sung his blade through the air, aiming to take out Luke's and Mara's legs. They both jumped up, avoiding the blade, and when the Guardsman shoved his blade out again, luke blocked it, and then Force shoved the man away, sending him flying into some bushes.

Luke quickly ducked, barely avoiding another blade that sliced the air directly above his head. He then brought his lightsaber parallel to his back, blocking another attack. Quickly, as if on cue, both he and Mara deactivated their lightsabers, and turned towards the Guardsmen, both reaching out with the force, channeling it into a strong shove that sent the Guardsmen flying backwards.

Luke and Mara didn't have time to watch them land on their feet, as they quickly turned away from the Imperials, and ran, their feet pounding on the dirt and ferns of the forest. Although Luke could sense them with the Force,, they had again disappeared, no longer visible to the naked eye.

Luke pulled out his Comm, and called to Artoo. "Where is Han?" Artoo responded with a few warbles and beeps. "Perfect." Luke responded to Artoo, taking comfort in the fact that Han was on his way.

When Mara and Luke had gotten far enough away from the Guardsmen, they slowed their pace to a jog, and then to a walk, eventually stopping to catch their breath. Apparently, however, Luke and Mara had not gotten far enough away, as luke quickly pulled out his lightsaber with a _snap-hiss,_ just in time to deflect a blaster bolt into a tree.

A Guardsman flew at Luke and Mara, his red robes and tunic flying out, displaying his black and red armor beneath. He soared at them, and hit the ground hard, slashing down at luke and mara. Luke managed to block the Vibroblade with his lightsaber, but Mara was not as lucky with the other end, as it grazed her arm, drawing blood. Suddenly, four more guards shimmered into view around them, slashing, and sweeping at Luke. He blocked blade after blade after blade, but the Guardsmen were relentless; they never seemed to tire. One slashed up at Luke as he parried the hit, while another aimed a tight kick at lukes leg. It connected, and sent Luke to the ground.

Luke brought his lightsaber up just in time to block a Vibroblade hit aimed at his neck. Grunting, he jumped up off the floor, and broke into a run with Mara in tow, as they were pursued closely by the five guardsmen.

Mara called at Luke over the wind. "Where are the other's?" Luke raised an eyebrow. "Before, there was thirteen of them, now there is only five!" Luke looked back at the Guardsmen to find that Mara was right.

He deflected another bolt aimed expertly at his head, and then looked forwards, just in time to see a massive crevice in the ground, dividing the planet in two. Luke's stomach dropped. He recognised the fissure gaping open, as if hungry.

Mara called at Luke, as he suddenly froze. "Come on Skywalker! Hurry up!"

Just as Luke took a step forwards, and prepared to continue running, someone dropped onto him from the sky, sending Luke hard into the dirt. Another person plummeted onto Luke, grabbing his hand to prevent him from reaching his lightsaber, in an steel grip. More and more fell, hands and feet and bodies covering Luke. He summoned the force, trying to blow off the guardsmen, but they kept coming back. He looked around him, only to find that they were all cloaked, and invisible.

Luke looked up a the trees to find that apparently, the Imperials were dropping from the branches onto him.

Luke looked back the canyon, to find Mara running along its edge. "Run!" he screamed at her, as he tried to free his hands. "Get away from the canyon!"

He called out to her again. "Mara! Don't face them! Run!" Mara glanced at him, the expression on her face solemn as she watched Luke struggle for freedom.

However , She didn't have time to pause and look at him. In a matter of seconds, the five Guardsmen had pulled out their rifles as their double bladed Vibroblade staffs disappeared into their robes; They were not close enough for sword combat.

Mara met Luke's eyes a few seconds more, and then she turned her gaze back towards the guards just as they opened fire on her with their heavy blaster rifles- just like in the vision.

"Mara!" he screamed again. Luke struggled under the weight of the many hidden Guardsmen and tried to crawl forwards. He freed his arm from the iron grip of a hand and slowly crawled forwards, his fingers clawing at the rocky ground. It was just like his vision. Luke understood now, that there was nothing special about the vision, no double meaning. It was a glimpse into the future- a future that was slowly but surely becoming a reality.

The red bolts were flying at Mara from the five guards in rapid succession, and she was managing to block them all rather well. One guard flipped out of the way, barely missing a deflected bolt aimed at his chest. Despite the weight, Luke couldn't help but be impressed. They were indeed the best of the best.

Although Mara was managing to deflect the shots, Luke knew that she couldn't keep it up forever. Her arm was already wounded by the vibroblade, and she eventually needed to go on the offensive. That, or she needed to jump away, and soon. Luke summoned all his strength, reaching out to the Force, as he tried to shove the Guards off him. Their grips weakened slightly, but they only came back stronger than before.

Luke again looked again at Mara. As her situation became more desperate, Luke began to fear the worst; That his vision would come true. It was all playing out exactly as he had dreamed. It was five against one, and they were Imperial guards. The best of the best- the private soldiers of the Emperor, the ones to whom he had entrusted his life.

Already Mara's form was looking sluggish. She blocked bolt after bolt, but there were too many for her to handle. Her breaths became more ragged.

Suddenly a laser bolt flew through her tight defenses, hitting her in the left shoulder, just missing her head. Her new wound joined the cut, that was sending drops of blood cascading down her arm.

Luke was trying struggling to get to her- to help her. He fought off the invisible hands and fists that held him down. He summoned the Force, weakening his enemy for a short time, but It just seemed like their grips got stronger and stronger the more he struggled. His face contorted into anger. "Run Mara!" he yelled at her. "Get out of here!"

She gritted her teeth and kept trying to block the bolts, as her left arm hung limply at her side. She was getting slower though, and she knew it as well as he did. It was not long until she would fail to deflect the bolts.

Suddenly Mara split her concentration. Luke saw her bend to a crouch, like a coiled spring, ready to jump. He could see her getting ready to fly over and away from the guards. Luke yelled out at her. He knew how this would play out. He had to stop it.

Yoda's words rung out in his head. _Always in motion, the future is._

Mara was still deflecting the bolts at still a slower rate as she prepared to jump. It was a miracle that she had not been hit again, but Luke knew that her luck would not last.

Luke looked towards the Guard; the one that would hit her leg. Luke saw that Guard look towards her, and then shift his aim, his black visor reflection curly in the sunlight. Luke saw his finger tighten around the trigger in slow motion, he saw the red bolt speed towards Mara. just as in his vision. He saw her move her lightsaber in an attempt to block the last bolt before she could jump.

Luke screamed at her to jump, but it was too late. Her lightsaber was fast, but not fast enough. The bolt hit her straight in the leg, and she grunted in pain, stumbling blindly backwards, her jump abandoned. As she stumbled, Mara accidentally put pressure on her leg and yelled out in pain from the wound.

Luke could almost feel the burns in her shoulder and leg through the Force as she stumbled backwards. His eyes were glued on her. Luke yelled at her to run, to do something. He called on himself to help her.

Luke could feel the blood pumping in his head rushing in his ears. He could hear his heartbeat, and for a few seconds, it was all he could hear.

He saw Mara in slow motion, through her pain, take another blind step backwards, as she desperately held her shoulder. He saw her foot slip on the wet rocks, as she searched for traction. Luke saw Mara take another step backwards in a desperate effort to save herself. Luke reached out to try and save her, but it was no use. He watched as her face ran through fear, surprise, and pain in a second as her foot missed the cliff altogether.

Luke watched as Mara attempted to bring her weight forwards, in a desperate final attempt to save herself from the fall, but she had too much backwards momentum. Luke met her eyes, just as she slowly fell off the cliff into the darkness below, the gaping mouth swallowing her in its darkness.

Luke's face contorted into a mask of rage, as he reached out to the force with all his remaining strength, all his remaining willpower. He channeled his energy through his body, outwards, sending the Guardsmen flying, and for a second he was free. Total, unchecked, freedom.

He quickly reached towards his lightsaber, grabbing it, and soared into combat, slashing and parried the blades that whirred around him.

Suddenly, luke heard a ship scream above him- the _Falcon_ He jumped away from the Guardsmen, and ran towards the cliff where the _Falcon_ had landed. With one final jump, he soared onto its ramp, and ran to the interior of the ship. As soon as he was aboard, the ramp bagan to close.

As soon as he was safe, Luke slouched down to the ground, totally drained. With all his remaining energy, he stretched out with the force, looking for any sign of life coming from Mara. anything, to confirm that she was still alive. Luke searched for her. He closed his eyes. Luke couldn't find Mara. She was gone. Luke slowly opened his eyes to the sound of footsteps, and then closed them again.

He took a deep breath, letting any remaining anger or hatred drain away from him, replaced only by sadness.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

"Luke!" the call echoed out down the hall of the _Falcon_ , only slightly louder than the pounding of Han's boots on the floor. He ran down the call, swearing under his breath. Han quickly skidded around the corner, only to find Luke sitting on the floor.

Han stopped short, his eyes widening slightly.

Luke looked a sickly pale, as beads of sweat ran down his face. his eyes were closed, and he was propped up on the wall in what seemed to be a comatose state.

"Wow kid." Said Han in surprise. "you've seen better days."

Luke's eyes slowly opened, and he turned his gaze to meet Han's. he attempted a smile, but his face slowly fell. "she's gone." He said quietly, an underlying sadness in his voice.

Han raised a concerned eyebrow, and Luke explained. "Mara. She-" He paused. "She fell off the cliff." Luke closed his eyes again. "I tried to help her but I couldn't."

 _Hard to believe_ , Han thought to himself. Mara was always tough- a fighter. Hard to imagine that she'd go out that way. "Are you sure that you can't sense her with your…" Han paused. "I don't know, Force powers, or something like that?"

Luke shook his head.

Han crouched down beside him, putting a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Well don't give up kid, I'm sure she's fine."

Again, Luke shook his head. "Those were Imperial royal guards down there Han. A lot of them." He paused, looking at Han, a solemn look in his eyes. "And they had some new tech, I've never seen it before. They could cloak."

Han shivered slightly. "Like turn invisible?" Luke nodded.

"you're sure that they were royal guards?" Han paused. "I thought they all died with the Empire." Luke nodded again. Han slowly rose, sticking his hand out for Luke to grab. "Well, that's another one that you owe me now kid."

Luke grabbed Han's hand, pulling himself up, a smile on his face that fought away the darkness, if only for a moment. "Yea sure. I think we're about even now Han."

Han also smiled. "We'll see about that."

A muted call came from Chewbacca in the cockpit, followed by a loud growl.

Han's smile vanished. "Uh oh." He threw his gaze down the hallway in the direction of the cockpit. "Chewie says we're not alone out here. We may be in trouble." He started to jog to the cockpit, gesturing to Luke to follow. "Come on!"

As they jogged to the cockpit, the _Falcon_ quickly took a sharp turn, and Han and Luke were thrown into the curved wall. Han slowly got up, and then called up at the cockpit. "Watch it buddy!" he paused, catching his breath. "keep flying like that and we'll all be dead before we even make it out of the atmosphere!"

Han again gestured for Luke to follow to the cockpit and dialed his pace up to a run. They arrived in a few seconds, just in time to see two Tie fighters scream by, as Chewbacca growled a derogatory comment about the pilots.

Han slid into the seat, grabbing the controls. "I take it back. We're definitely in trouble."

Luke called out at Han over the unmistakable hiss of laser fire, and the scream of the Tie's twin ion engines. "I'll be at the gun port!"

"You read my mind kid!" Han called back at Luke as the ship shook, without taking his eyes off the viewport. Suddenly, the main computer gave a loud shriek, and Han sent the _Falcon_ in a spiraling turn, barely avoiding several green laser bolts expertly aimed at the _Falcon_. He heard Luke crash around in the back of the ship and winced.

"Sorry!" he called out.

"How many are there?" Han asked Chewbacca, not daring to take his eyes off the swarming ships. Chewbacca tapped furiously on the main control panel and growled a response.

Han whistled. "That many?" he paused, slamming down on the etheric rudder. "Man, they really hate this ship."

A call came from the intercom section of the control panel. "Hey, Han?" he tapped it and spoke in response.

"Yea kid?"

Luke called over the sound of gunfire, the _Falcons_ guns going off nonstop at the enemy Tie's. "You may wanna come see this. They're everywhere."

Han dialed up the internal compensator, and felt the invisible force pushing him in his seat retreat forwards a little. "I know kid, Chewie told me." Han paused. "They must have brought in an assault carrier for all these Tie's."

Luke's voice sounded roughly over the intercom again. "Yea, more like ten." Chewbacca snorted next to Han.

Han pulled back on the steering module, and then slammed down on the rudder, sending the ship spiraling upwards. They screamed past the floating capitol city, barely missing it, when Luke called over the intercom again.

"Han! Artoo and my ship are still down there!"

Han shook his head to himself and responded over the intercom. "Not anymore kid." He paused, glancing at the rear scope. "We took the liberty of taking Artoo with us before we went to go get you."

There was a moment of silence before Luke spoke again. "He's on the _Falcon_?"

Suddenly a quick mix of electronic beeps, jabbering, and warbles sounded over the intercom, then slowly trailed off.

"Han…" Luke called disapprovingly.

He raised his shoulders in a rough shrug. "Well, I decided that the Nav computer could use an upgrade, and your Astromech is quite the useful little droid." He paused, grinning to himself. "Who am I to pass up free labor?"

A chuckle came from Luke, then trailed off. "But what about my ship?"

"Sorry kid." Responded Han. "We don't have time, or a way to get it. We'll just have to send a Republic convoy after it."

The _Falcon_ shook, and Han rattled in his chair as four blasts splashed across the rear deflector shield. He instinctively whipped his head down the ship, and then back towards the cockpit. "Chewie, angle those deflector shields!"

He called over the intercom. "Artoo, see if you can't divert more power to those shields!"

Artoo nervously beeped in response and then let out a little electronic scream, as four more shots splashed against the shield.

Chewbacca roared at Han. "I know I know!" he shouted back, quickly clicking on the intercom. "Luke keep 'em off our tail!" he paused. "If we get hit like that again..." Han paused again. "well, let's just say that we can't take another hit to the rear shield!"

Luke responded. "I'll try, but they're everywhere!" he paused, firing at the ships. "Han I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Chewbacca growled again before Han had time to respond, and he looked down at the scanner. "three, two, one." He counted down. "And we are out of the atmosphere." He inhaled a deep breath and sat back in his seat.

Unfortunately, the victory was short lived, as three more ships screamed by in front of them. Han again turned the _Falcon_ into a tight spiral, and pulled out of it slowly, his eyes scanning the dark space in front of them.

Slowly, his eyes began to rest on a ship that grew in size at they flew. Han's stomach turned, his eyes glued to the ship.

Luke's voice over the intercom brought him out of his gaze. "Han, is that...?"

Han grimly responded. "it is." He paused, inhaling a breath, talking slowly. "the _Chimera_ , Imperial flagship."

Luke responded slowly over the comm. "Well, that's where all these Tie's came from."

Han nodded to himself, and then tapped on the intercom again. "Listen kid, see if you can-"

Han was unable to finish his sentence before a lone Tie fighter got through Luke's tight defenses, and fired upon the _Falcon_ , sending six bolts slamming into its Duralloy hull, exposing the interior of the ship to the cold vacuum of space before the bulkheads detected the sudden lack in air, and slammed shut.

Han and Chewbacca were thrown forwards, almost slamming into the main control panel, as sparks flew, and the main computer, and Artoo wailed simultaneously.

Luke called over the Intercom, his voice slightly distorted and electric sounding. "We're hit!"

Han was out of his chair in a second, rushing to the rear of the ship as he called back to Chewbacca. "Take the controls and avoid that Star Destroyer! Begin programming the coordinates to Coruscant!"

Chewbacca growled back at Han over the various alarms and wailing of the ship.

Han called back. "I know we can't jump like this, but I'll get her fixed soon!"

He rounded the corner and found Artoo, his white and blue metal slightly darkened from a burn on one side. Somehow, he was still plugged into the central computer. "Artoo what's our situation?"

Artoo quickly beeped out to Han the status of the _Falcon_. His face fell, as he slowly made his way over the wires and debris to the hyperdrive. It was smoking slightly as he inspected it. Not taking his eyes off the hyperdrive, he called back to the droid. "Artoo! See if you can't find me a Hydrospanner!" Han paused, eyeing it carefully, running his hands over its cool metal surface. "Along with a thermal wrench and a nice torquespanner."

Han quickly set to work, as the ship shook and shuttered slightly under his feet. He muttered under his breath. _Hold together just a bit longer. You've not let me down yet._ Artoo made his way over the uneven surface, his mechanical claw handing Han his requested tools.

As he worked, the ship gave off the horrible screeching of Duralloy being ripped and crushed. Han was thrown off his knees into the ground, but quickly got up, abandoning the hyperdrive and the tools as he made his way to the cockpit as quickly as he could. "That was no laser!" He called ahead of him.

Luke sat behind Chewbacca who growled ferociously. Han swore under his breath. "We're caught in their tractor beam." 

Luke turned to face him. "Well, can't we do anything?"

Han shook his head. "It's no use. The thrusters are spent as it is, and I'm not sure we could break free from their tractor beam even with them at full power."

Luke gave a sigh of exhaustion and took a seat. "Well, there's nothing on that ship that we can't handle." He said halfheartedly, as though he was trying to convince himself.

Han took a seat in front of him, in the pilot's chair. "I hope your right kid." He turned to Chewbacca. "Turn off the thrusters and all non-essential systems." Han turned back to look at the Star Destroyer. "let her drift."

They slowly approached the _Chimera's_ gaping maw of the main hangar, caught in her invisible grip. Within a few moments, the ship shook ever so slightly, and they docked inside the cavernous belly of the ship.

Han rose from his seat slowly and turned towards Chewbacca and Luke. "Well, we might as well go meet our guests."

They slowly made their way towards the edge of the ship, where they arrived at the ramp. Han flipped a switch, and the ramp slowly lowered to the ground with a hiss, and a cloud of steam. They made their way onto the floor of the Destroyer and stopped short, his breath taken away.

It seemed like a scene from before, when the Empire was at its full might in the galaxy. Two separate squadrons of stormtroopers stood before him, weapons held at a ready, white armor reflecting off the harsh light of the _Chimera_. They were surrounded by four squads of navy officers. Two inspection crews stood off at the side.

Han quietly whispered to Luke without turning his head entirely. "They aren't kidding around here. I think the whole ship's come to greet us."

Chewbacca softly growled in agreement as an Imperial officer stepped forwards, wearing the distinctive rank plaque of a commander. He gestured with his hands.

"If you please, there is someone who would like to see you."

"What gives you the idea that we are going to go with you?" Han shot back in response.

The storm troopers activated their guns with clicks. "if you prefer, I can take you by force."

Han glanced at Luke and Chewbacca. "Thanks for your offer, but we are just fine going ourselves."

The officer slowly extended a hand in their direction, palm upwards. "your weapons, if you please."

Han glanced at Luke, an uneasy look on his face as he unbuckled his blaster, and handed it to the officer, with Luke's lightsaber following suit.

The group slowly made their way forwards, following the Imperial commander as one squadron of stormtroopers surrounded them, and the other hung behind them. The navy troopers flanked the stormtroopers, all in classic Imperial form.

Han called out to the commander. "Hey, buddy, where are you taking us?"

The man gave a small grin, and turned his head slightly without stopping his march. "The question you should be asking is not where I am taking you, but whom I am taking you to see." He turned his head forwards again, his black boots clicking off the floor of the ship.

Han, Luke and Chewbacca were forced to fall in line behind the Commander to see where they were headed.

After a few moments of walking, they made their way towards the conference room of the ship. They marched down the hall until as if on cue, all the Imperial men halted, and the commander turned to face them. He pointed at a door on their left. "Please go through the doorway."

Han cautiously made his way towards the door, followed by Luke and Chewbacca. It silently slid open as they made their way through into the darkened hallway. Han looked behind him, to see that the stormtroopers had moved slightly, almost unnoticeably, to cut off their escape. Han gulped. He had a bad feeling about this, whatever it was.

The door again slid silently, however this time it closed, locking them in. Ahead was one more door. Han glanced at Luke as the group made their way forward, but stopped suddenly as two red clad guards flickered into view towering over them. Luke instantly tensed, his muscles clenching, but he slowly breathed, and relaxed himself. Han glanced at Luke's hands to see them unfurling from fists.

Luke nudged Han in the ribs with his elbow as if to say _told you so_ , while the guards surveyed them through their black facemasks. Once they were satisfied they silently glided to the side, and gestured for the group to pass.

Han made his way forwards as the last door slid open, and his eyes widened and he sucked in a breath as he instinctively reached for his blaster, even though it was no longer with him.

Han glanced over at Luke, to find him in the same state of shock. He followed Luke's eyes to the man standing at the end of the room.

He wore an immaculate white uniform, its pristine color only interrupted by his black belt, and equally dark boots. His gloved hands were clasped at the small of his back as he looked out the viewport into the dark night of space. The man slowly turned, more of his blue features becoming clear with every passing second.

After a few moments, the man faced them, his red eyes glowing, boring into Han. His golden epaulets shined in the bright light. The man wore the uniform of the Empires most elite, the Grand Admiral. His rank plaque also proudly displayed the six blue squares next to the three red and yellow ones; the plague of a Grand Admiral.

Han subconsciously heard Luke speak. "No. It can't be."

The man responded, his cool voice making Han's cheek twitch. "Oh, but it is."

Han's eyes slowly drifted back to the man's face, as his lips curled upwards in a wolfish smile. In a carefully calculated movement, he gestured at the table before him and spoke again, his cold gaze on them.

His words were carefully chosen, and his perfectly modulated voice cut across the room. "Please gentlemen. Take a seat." He paused. "We have much to discuss." Han shivered, too surprised to even move.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

"Senator Organa here to see Admiral Ackbar." The door slid quietly open, beckoning her to enter. Leia strode into the office space of Admiral Ackbar, to find him sitting at his desk, studying a map of certain star systems.

He glanced up at Leia and deactivated his hologram. "May I be of assistance to you, Senator?" he asked Leia, his head bobbing slightly as he spoke.

She nodded as she took a seat opposite him. "Yes you may. Admiral, I was recently informed that you were preparing to begin an inspection of the war factories that have been recently brought back into service through the senate'sdecisionn."

He nodded, his large eyes swiveling around. "I am indeed, Senator."

Brought her hands onto the table. "I was wondering, Admiral, if I could come along on this inspection."

Ackbar tilted his head slightly, the universal movement of confusion. "You may of course senator, however I am confused by your motives."

Leia clasped her hands. "If I am correct, this inspection team already has a strong military presence." She paused, gesturing to Ackbar. "However, I believe that it could benefit from a political presence as well."

Ackbar waited for Leia to finish speaking before he responded. "Very well. You are very welcome to come along, Senator." Ackbar reactivated his hologram projection. "As you can see here, we will be beginning the inspection the Kuat system. We will then travel from the core to the colonies, finishing the Inspection at the Balmorra system."

Leia nodded, urging him to continue. "We will be taking with us one Nebulon-B frigate, and a squadron of X-wings." Ackbar squinted. "Red squadron, I believe." He deactivated the projection and looked back up at Leia. "If you wish to come along, Senator, please proceed towards the main hangar in one rotation."

Leia rose from her chair. "Thank you, Admiral. I will be glad to come along. I will begin preparing immediately."

With that, she slowly made her way out of Ackbar's office, and she headed to her personal quarters.

Moments later, she arrived and made her way inside. "Threepio!" she called, turning around In a circle to try and get a glimpse at the golden droid.

He called out from another room, and Leia heard him shuffling towards her. "I am here, mistress Leia!"

She turned to him as she came into view. "Threepio, have you gotten any word from Han or Luke?" she paused. "They were supposed to be here a while ago."

Threepio shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid not, Senator." He paused to think. "However, I am confident that if anything was wrong, Captain Solo would contact you."

Leia sighed. She hoped that he was right. "Well Threepio, if they make any contact, please inform me as soon as possible." She glanced at her bedroom. "And please begin packing for me. I leave tomorrow on a Inspection of the newly activated factories."

Threepio dipped his head down in a curt nod. "Yes, Senator."


	22. Chapter 22

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Pellaeon turned away from the viewport just in time to see Thrawn walk through the entranceway to the bridge of the _Chimaera_. Pellaeon glanced around at the various officers, and a small grin crept into his face. they always seemed more attentive when the Grand Admiral was on the bridge.

However, his smile slowly flattered, and then dissolved entirely as Pellaeon remembered what the Grand Admiral had been doing moments prior. Pellaeon pushed these thoughts aside, and then straightened as Thrawn approached him.

"Sir, Stormtrooper squads three and seven have reported that the prisoners have successfully been moved to their cells without incident."

Thrawn turned slightly to his left, and two royal guards shimmered into view. Pellaeon shivered slightly, the corners of his mouth turning down. "Well done. Your team has performed admirably Major."

Thrawn turned back to Pellaeon as the guards disappeared again. Apparently, Thrawn had seen Pellaeon's expression. "You don't appreciate the Royal Guards Captain?"

Pellaeon shook his head. "No sir." Pellaeon though for a second. "I don't like what I cannot see."

Thrawn nodded slowly. "Fair enough." He paused, eyeing the datapad that Pellaeon held in his hands. "Do you have anything more to report Captain?"

Pellaeon nodded. "Yes sir." He resumed reading through his report. "The scanning crews have deemed that their ship is heavily damaged, and potentially not space worthy at the current moment. Other than that, Sir, they have found nothing out of the ordinary." Pellaeon paused, reading through the last lines of the report. "They have extracted anything potentially useful to us and moved these objects to priority storage."

"Very good, Captain." Thrawn responded. "I wish to inspect those objects shortly." He paused. "Did the inspection crew find anything else out of the ordinary?"

Pellaeon shook his head. "No sir."

Thrawn strode over to Pellaeon, and glanced at his face before gazing out to the planet below. "I sense that you are questioning one of my recent decisions Captain?"

Pellaeon gulped and nodded. He thought for a few seconds before carefully speaking. "I am indeed sir." He turned his head to look at Thrawn. "I mean no disrespect; however I am not sure how revealing you existence benefits us." He paused to think. "At the current time, sir, the Rebellion thinks that you are dead. If Captain Solo or the Jedi Skywalker ever escape that will instantly change, putting us at a disadvantage sir. I fail to understand why you have done this I'm afraid."

Thrawn turned to fully face Pellaeon. "Do you believe that I have revealed my existence simply to boost my ego Captain?" Thrawn paused. "perhaps to make the Rebellion fear me further?"

Pellaeon's eyes widened slightly as he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Thrawn. "Captain, your error in judgment is the belief that I operate in a similar manner to many other Officials that you may have encountered in you journey through the ranks of the Empire, when that is in fact furthest from the truth. Let me put you at ease when I say that I am not another dangerous and unstable Darth Vader in shining armor, nor am I another Tarkin wishing to achieve only power for himself through the destruction of entire worlds. Contrary to these men, Captain, I seek no power, no privilege for myself. My sole purpose is to defeat the Rebellion once and for all, and I will raise the Empire back to its former power and glory, by any means I deem necessary." Thrawn stared at Pellaeon, his red eyes sending shivers through Pellaeon's spine.

"Yes Sir." Responded Pellaeon slowly. "However, that does not explain you revealing yourself. As soon as the Rebellion knows about you, they will hunt for us in an attempt to eliminate you."

Thrawn smiled ever so slightly. "your gravely mistaken. It will have quite the opposite effect Captain." Thrawn paused to again look at the planet below. "Do you believe that the already indecisive senate will believe the words of a smuggler, who's loyalties many still question?" Pellaeon opened his mouth to speak but Thrawn held up a hand. "If the Senate cannot trust the word of Captain Solo, they will have an easier time trusting the word of a Jedi, self-proclaimed protector of the republic." Thrawn paused, a smile creeping about his face. "However, if our Jedi friend ever testifies in front of the Senate, as soon as he says that I have been resurrected from the dead, his credibility will be gone."

"My sudden reappearance will grossly fragment and divide the Rebellion into an even greater stagnant state, while we rush into our attack, unexpected."

Thrawn turned back to the viewport. "And this scenario operates under the assumption that Captain Solo and Jedi Skywalker indeed believe that I am the real Thrawn, and not some sort of intricate rouse, created to fool them, or instill fear in them, Captain."

Pellaeon exhaled slightly, much to Thrawn's amusement. "You plan is excellent, as usual, sir." Suddenly Pellaeon's datapad gave off a slight ping in his hands. He glanced down at it, then back up at the Grand Admiral. "Sir urgent transmission from the Imperial Palace on Coruscant."

Pellaeon held out the datapad to Thrawn. "The newest Delta source report has appeared."

Thrawn read over the report quickly, his face in a serene state. Thrawn looked up from the report and handed it back to Pellaeon. "Thank you, Captain. It appears that Delta source has again gifted us with some important information."

Suddenly a thought struck Pellaeon. "Sir, should we move the ship to an Imperial system? A Rebel convoy may show up at any time."

Thrawn shook his head. "No Captain. Jedi Skywalker was sent to begin negotiations at Caarimon, however, the negotiations never took place. Caarimon is not a Rebel planet."

"Captain?" Thrawn asked.

"Yes Sir?" replied Pellaeon

"What is the status of the fleet?"

Pellaeon looked down at his datapad, pulling up the latest report. "Captain Harbid and Captain Brandei are continuing to make tactical and hyperspace surveys in preparation for our secondary attack."

"Thrawn nodded. "Very good Captain. The end of the Rebellion is swiftly drawing near with each passing second." He paused. "Inform them that they are to continue making hyperspace surveys until we have all the coordinates we need." Thrawn paused again. "Make absolutely sure, Captain, to also inform the Judicator and the Deaths hand that no imperial vessel is to come into the Balmorra system."

Pellaeon nodded. "It will be done, Sir."

"Now." Thrawn spoke again. "Detail an interrogation squad for our captives, and let us begin the interrogation."


	23. Chapter 23

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Talon Karrde sat back in his chair, laying the datapad down on his desk. He reached down, and stroked Sturm's back, as the Vornskr gave out a low purr. _These are troubled times_ , he thought to himself. He looked down at Sturm.

Karrde glanced down at the Vornskr. "Yes Strum, just like before." He looked up again. _Before?_ He thought to himself. _Before, when the Empire was still aggressively expanding? Before, when Thrawn was still in power?_ Karrde felt a shiver go up his spine. Either way, The Empire was getting bolder. He glanced back down to the report again. Imperial scoutships dropping out of hyperspace in Republic systems? he read it over again. The scoutships were sometimes appearing only one system away from Coruscant.

"They're getting aggressive, aren't they Strum?" he gave the Vornskr another scratch under the ears as Strum let out another low purr. Apparently, the Republic had ignored these scout ships because they were unarmed, but it made Karrde uneasy all the same.

That, and this whole Imperial defector thing that the Republic was so worked up over. Karrde slowly reached forwards on his desk, pressing the Intercom. "Karrde to Aves. Aves, have we gotten any report from Mara yet?"

There was a small cough. "No, not yet."

Karrde again leaned back in his seat. "But she always writes a report within the first two hours of arrival." He paused. "This is Mara we're talking about."

"I know."

Karrde thought for a second. If Mara had not sent in a report, then something had gone wrong. "Aves, Prep the Wild karrde, and as soon as she is ready, set course for Caarimon."

Aves coughed again. "Karrde, there's a Star Destroyer in orbit right now."

Karrde's cheek twitched slightly. "Which one? We can probably sneak past—"

Aves cut him off. "It's the _Chimaera_."

Karrde's stomach dropped. His informant had been right. Something big was going on at Caarimon if the Imperial's flagship was there, the best-armed Star Destroyer in the Imperial fleet.

"I'm gonna assume that we're not gonna try and sneak past the Chimaera, boss?"

Karrde shook his head. "No, we're not. Keep the ship on standby."

Aves spoke again. "there's one more thing you should know. "Karrde perked up. "We recently intercepted a transmission from the Empire. It's strongly encrypted, and ever since we lost Ghent to the Republic, our decryption has been weaker, but I can send it to you if you want Boss."

"Send it immediately." 

"you got it." Aves responded.

Karrde picked up his datapad just as the message arrived. It was a medium-sized message as transmissions go, and they had only decoded just three words. Karrde read through them carefully, but only one caught his interest. Balmorra. Karrde set the datapad down and activated his monitor. He pulled up the file on the planet.

"Interesting." He, just above a murmur. "A manufacturing world. One of the largest ones used by the Empire, but the planet now is allied with the Republic."

Something at the end of the report caught Karrde's eye. The planet had been stagnant for a little while but had recently been sent back into production of weapons under the Senate's approval.

Karrde tapped the intercom again. "Aves, prep the Wild karrde to go to Balmorra." He paused. "And, send out an invitation to all of our smuggler friends that the Empire's planning something at Balmorra, and anyone is free to join the investigation."

"You got it, boss." Responded Aves.

Karrde looked down at Strum as he sent out a silent apology to Mara; she was just going to have to wait. "Well Strum, it looks like we're going' to Balmorra."


	24. Chapter 24

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present. Also, note that this is the longest chapter yet. (Yay.) Furthermore, chapters may not be posted as frequently in the coming days, as instead, I am going to review previous chapters and make sure they are 'Good'.**

Luke sat in the middle of his cell, eyes closed, legs crossed, elbows resting on his knees, in a state of meditation. When he reached out with the force, he could feel Han's slightly agitated presence in the cell next to him, and Chewbacca one more cell down.

However, they were not what was on Luke's mind. Nor was the interrogation that had taken place earlier.

No. the sole thing on Luke's mind was the strange encounter that he, Han and Chewbacca had shared. Their meeting with the Grand Admiral. The one who called himself Thrawn.

Luke shivered. He knew that all the reports had indicated to Thrawn being killed by one of his Nogori bodyguards, but yet he had spoken to them moments earlier. When Luke reached out, he could feel the doubt in Han's mind; Han didn't believe that it was really Thrawn, and with good reason.

Luke knew better.

That cold intensity, that harsh intelligence. The man they had encountered was the same one whom Luke had felt through the force on his previous visits to the _Chimaera_. No, there was no question in Luke's mind. That was Thrawn, back from the dead, one way, or another.

Even now he could feel his presence, like a dark knife at the very edge of his senses. Luke sighed. The Force never lied. What he knew for sure, without even needing to call on the Force, was that the Republic was in for quite the struggle in the coming days.

Luke opened his eyes. He just needed a way out of this cell so that he, Han and Chewbacca could get to Republic high command and alert them about this new threat.

Luke stretched out with his senses again. He had felt the presence for a while now. It was not a human, not alien either. It was a droid. He smiled slightly. Somehow, both of the inspection crews had managed to overlook Artoo. Quite the feat.

Already he had broken out of his containment facility, and was headed towards Luke and Han. Somehow, he knew where they were; perhaps he had plugged into a data console.

Luke again looked around the cell and couldn't help but sigh. It so closely resembled the one on the Death Star that had held Leia captive before her scheduled termination. The place where everything had started.

Luke's thoughts drifted towards the planet below, and towards Mara. He let out another sigh, this time one of sadness. She had perished, and he had not been able to help her. Luke reached out with the force again in a final effort to sense her, but he couldn't. her life Force was no longer existent.

Luke slowly rose off the ground, dusting himself off slightly. He made he way over to the door of the cell, as it slid open seconds later with a hiss.

Luke stepped out and was greeted with a mass of whistles and beeps from Artoo. He gestured with his hands. "Ok Artoo. Yes, I know. Yes, your very brave. Keep it down, we don't want to get caught."

Artoo's beeping trailed away, as Luke rested his hand on his cold metal dome. "Now, let's get Han's cell open."

Suddenly Artoo broke off into another series of beeps, as he shook backwards and forwards, shaking off Luke's hand. Slowly, one of the blue metal plates slid open at the top of his dome, and Luke's lightsaber rose up, shining in the light.

Luke smiled. "You didn't."

Artoo beeped an affirmative as Luke grabbed the lightsaber. "Nice job buddy. Glad I can count on you."

Luke looked around the hallway. Deserted. He brought his lightsaber up, and activated it, throwing a green glow across his face.

He then pointed his lightsaber at the door to Han's cell, and slowly pushed it in, not wanting to accidentally cut Han in half. Through the Force, Luke could feel Han's surprise, then understanding, and then satisfaction as Luke slowly cut a hole in the door for Han to exit in.

When Luke had finished, he deactivated his lightsaber, and pulled out the metal block with the force. Han slowly made his way out of his cell, looking slightly disoriented with his ruffled hair, but his ever-present grin was still on his face.

"Nice job Luke."

Luke smiled slightly. "Yea, that's another one you owe me."

Han grinned a little bigger, and then looked at his wrists, then shifting his gaze to Luke's. "They only gave me binders?" he asked with a hurt look on his face.

Luke nodded. "Oh they gave me binders too." He stretched out with the force and triggered the simple unlocking mechanism in the binders, and they fell away from Han's wrists, clattering to the ground.

He rubbed his wrists. "Now that feels better." He then looked to the cell next to them. "Now let's get Chewie, and then get out of here."

Once Chewbacca was freed from his cell and his binders were off, the group made their way forwards before Han stopped.

"Luke, shouldn't we at least put the metal chunks back in the doors?"

Luke shook his head.

"They'll notice either way, it's just harder to see, and I'll bet that they'll be looking rather closely."

Han slowly nodded, and the group cautiously made their way forwards again, Luke in the lead, lightsaber in hand, followed by Han and Chewbacca, with Artoo in the back. Chewbacca gave off a soft growl, and Han nodded in agreement.

"Yea that was one interrogation." He paused, looking around them, then up at the ceiling. "I didn't spill anything though."

Han slowly made his way up towards Luke and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey kid, do you even know where you're going?"

Luke shook his head, and then pointed at Artoo. "I don't, but he does." Luke turned towards the droid. "Artoo, as soon as you see a computer terminal, plug in and access the schematics to the ship, and find the quickest path to the main hangar."

Artoo beeped an affirmative.

It was not long until they found one of the many terminals on the ship. Luke patted Artoo on his dome. "Alright buddy, plug in and show us what you can do."

Artoo whistled another affirmative and extended his computer module. He quietly beeped to himself as he sliced through the tough encryption to the ships main computer.

Suddenly, Luke sensed something. He whipped his head around, listening closely. Just around the corner down the hall, he could hear the sound of boots against the floor of the Star Destroyer. He quietly signaled to Han and Chewbacca. Han turned his head to the sound, nodding.

Luke made the number six with his hands, and then pointed at himself as he pulled out his lightsaber. Han got the unspoken message. _I'll handle this._

The stormtroopers drew nearer, and Han and Chewbacca backed down the hall as Luke hid right at the corner. He stretched out with the force as he felt them drawing closer, and closer still. He fingered the ignition button on his lightsaber, waiting until the last second to activate his lightsaber.

Just as the group was about to round the corner, Luke activated his lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_ and its green blade appeared, humming to attack. Luke quickly jumped around the corner, sweeping in an arc motion with his lightsaber, cutting down the two closest stormtroopers.

Luke had to admit, they were trained well. As soon as their comrades were down, the four other troopers jumped back, firing at Luke. He deflected a few well aimed shots, and then reached out with the force, shoving two troops down the hall. They landed with a crash, and didn't come up again.

Then, with a final jump, Luke brought his lightsaber up above his head while he was soaring through the air and slashed down on the other two troopers as soon as he landed. The last bolts rang out in the hallway, as the other two stormtroopers died.

"Han! Luke called, turning his head. He deactivated his lightsaber and hung it at his belt. "Come on out and get their blasters!"

Han made his way around the corner with Chewbacca in tow, and he reached down to pick up a blaster that had fallen to the ground as Chewbacca did the same. Han weighed it in his hand.

"E-11. Not bad, but I still prefer my DL-44." Han whistled. "That thing can get you out in a pinch, trust me." He gestured at the two Stormtroopers that had been flung down the hall. "What about those two?"

"Unconscious." Luke responded.

"Nice work kid."

Han turned his head to look at Chewbacca who gave out a low growl. "I agree chewie."

Luke walked around the corner again to find Artoo wheeling away from the port. He beeped at Luke.

"Artoo says that he managed to access the computers schematics, and that the quickest way to the main Hagar is this way." Luke pointed down a hallway.

"well." Han replied, hefting his blaster. "Let's get going."

* * *

"Nothing at all?" Pellaeon asked Dreyf again.

"That's correct sir. The prisoners gave us no information at all."

Pellaeon raised an eyebrow. They were a tough group the Rebels, he had to give it to them. Withstanding an Imperial interrogation is not an easy task.

"Did you use the newly developed truth serum, Commander?" Thrawn asked, coming up silently to Pellaeon's side.

"We did, sir." Thrawn's eyebrows raised slightly, but before he had a chance to speak, a call came out from the port side crew pit.

"Sir, the thirty-first platoon has detected a hole in the twelfth priority storage block."

Thrawn's head whipped around towards Pellaeon as he tapped on his datapad, then looking up at the Grand Admiral. "I have confirmation that that's the storage block holding the _Falcon's_ remnants discovered by the scanning crew sir."

Thrawn's face slowly morphed into a rare picture of anger as he turned to the man who had called out the report. "What kind of hole, Ensign?"

The man tapped on his keyboard, glaring at his scope. "Unknown sir." He paused. "Receiving more information now."

A few seconds later he spoke again. "It is a rather large hole sir, large enough to fit a human, and it appears to have been cut clean through."

Pellaeon's stomach sunk as he quickly turned to the stormtrooper officer present on the bridge. "Send a detail of two platoons to the cells immediately!" The man nodded, and then whipped around, talking into his commlink, as he quickly ran off the bridge.

Thrawn turned back towards Pellaeon, and Pellaeon quickly addressed his superior. "Sir, I believe that somehow, Skywalker must have escaped, and cut his way into the primary storage room to get something." Pellaeon paused to think. "What it could be, I have absolutely no Idea, sir."

Thrawn's anger disappeared, as he became engrossed in deep through. "It's certainly a good theory Captain, but no I don't think it's possible." He turned towards Dreyf. "You made sure to take their weapons Commander?"

Dreyf nodded. "I was sure to take both solo's blaster, and Skywalker's Lightsaber, sir, if that's what you're thinking. I stored them both in priority storage as requested by Captain Pellaeon, sir."

Thrawn turned back towards Pellaeon. "Then how did a hole manage to appear in the priority storage block?" Thrawn closed his eyes until all that Pellaeon could see were small red slits, as he slowly turned from Pellaeon. Then suddenly, his glowing eyes shot open, and he whipped back towards Pellaeon.

"The droid" he said slowly, with the air of someone who knew what they were talking about.

One of Pellaeon's eyebrows rose. "Sir?"

Thrawn composed himself. "We know that Captain Solo and Skywalker traveled to this planet at different times, in different ships, correct, Captain?" Pellaeon nodded, and Thrawn continued. "We are also aware that Skywalker never travels without his Astromech, and that the _Falcon_ was the only ship to leave the planet." Thrawn paused. "Therefore, the droid was on the ship when we intercepted it, and must have broken into Priority storage to get Skywalker's lightsaber."

Thrawn paused as his eyes narrowed. "Either that, or he broke _out_ of priority storage." Thrawn turned to Dreyf. "Send a message to the inspection crews asking if they found an Astromech droid aboard the ship."

Pellaeon's commlink began to ping, and he activated it, and a stormtrooper officer addressed Pellaeon. "Sir, a stormtrooper squad has encountered six men. Two appear to be unconscious, and the other four are dead."

"How did they die?" Pellaeon asked.

The man responded with the air of someone attempting to hold two conversations at once. "Unknown sir. We are experiencing some confusion on that topic."

Pellaeon turned to glance at Thrawn before speaking back into the commlink. "Be sure too look for microscopic cuts on the bodies with partial cauterization."

There was a silence on the other end for a few seconds before the stormtrooper responded. "We've positively identified these cuts sir."

Pellaeon's stomach dropped ever so slightly. "Sir, my second platoon is coming into contact now." The man paused for a second, before continuing the conversation.

"Sir, all three of the prisoner's cells have been compromised." Pellaeon turned to glance at Thrawn, his attempt at calm barely masking his anger. Unfortunately for the rebels, Pellaeon thought to himself, Thrawn's anger was not a fire burning out of control that caused men to make mistakes.

No, Thrawn had a cold anger, one that gave him the same focus that was displayed on his face. Thrawn silently came up next to Pellaeon, talking into the commlink.

"Who is this?"

"Major Glavnyy, sir." The stormtrooper responded, his voice clearer when he heard the Grand Admiral.

"Very well Major." Thrawn responded, speaking into the comm. "Send two squads down to the main hangar. Once there, your two squads are to seal off all bulkheads. Tell them to apply thermal detonators to the blast doors in case of incursion."

Thrawn paused. "Note that our enemies will be targeting the _Falcon_. Therefore, I advise you to place several troops aboard. Warn the men that our intruders are heavily armed, and one has a lightsaber."

"Sir?" Pellaeon asked. "Are you sure that they will make for the _Falcon_? It's barely spaceworthy."

Thrawn nodded. "I am captain. Solo has demonstrated repeatedly that his ship is almost part of his family, and that it has great importance to him. He will not willingly leave it behind."

Thrawn resumed his commlink conversation. "Major, have you confirmed the location of our escapees?"

"Yes sir." The Major responded curtly, as Thrawn gestured at Pellaeon to bring up a map of the ship on the holotable. "Sending their estimated location now, sir."

Thrawn nodded. "Excellent work Major." He made his way over to the holotable, joining Pellaeon. Thrawn quickly snapped his head towards the officer. "Captain, do we have any remaining Ysalamir on this ship?"

Pellaeon nodded. "We do sir, however upon your-" Pellaeon paused. "Your death, I had them moved to deep storage." Pellaeon paused. "And there weren't many to begin with sir, since C'baoth moved off our ship."

Thrawn shook his head, as he leaned over the holotable. "It will take too long to get them out of deep storage."

He trailed off, and he scrutinized the holoprojection, especially the red circle that engulfed a small part of the ship. Thrawn studied the map for a few moments, and then clicked the commlink back on. "Major, send a platoon of your men down corridor twenty-three to pursue the men."

Thrawn again switched off the commlink, and then slowly looked up at Pellaeon. "Captain, seal off bulkheads forty-two, thirty-seven, twenty-six and thirty-five."

Pellaeon nodded instinctively, as he looked down at the map of the ship to see what blast doors the Grand Admiral was referring to.

He suddenly looked up at Thrawn. "But sir, that presents them with a straight route to the main hangar, and they will certainly proceed there for their ship!"

Thrawn smiled for what seemed to be the first time since the beginning of this incident. "I'm counting on it, Captain."

* * *

Luke slowly glanced down the hallways, at Chewbacca and Han both guarded the corners. He turned his gaze towards Artoo. "Come on buddy, hurry up!" Artoo warbled nervously as he unplugged from the computer socket.

"You did it?" Luke asked Artoo.

He beeped an affirmative, and then gave off some more electronic beeps and whistles.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Ghent showed you some tricks?"

Artoo beeped an affirmative again, as he made his way forwards towards Han. Luke gestured at Chewbacca to follow them.

Luke caught up with Han at the end of the hallway, and Han turned his gaze towards Luke. "All clear so far, Kid." Luke nodded, as he deactivated his humming lightsaber.

Suddenly, all around them, blast doors slammed shut in a harmony of grinding metal.

"Blast it!" Han quietly swore. "They've cut us off!"

Artoo beeped and whistled some more, as Luke's eyebrow began to rise.

"Actually, that's not true." Luke turned towards Han and pointed down the hall to the only corridor available. "Artoo says that the way to the main hangar is that way."

Han dropped his gun down to his side. "But that makes no sense. Why would they purposefully herd us to the main hangar?"

Luke shrugged eloquently, and then made his way down the hall. "I have no idea Han, but we might as well get going." He paused, turning his head slightly. "And If things get rough, we always have Plan B."

Han shook his head. "Kid, you know this is a trap, right?"

Luke nodded. "What else would it be?" He gestured down the hall. "Shall we go?"

Han grudgingly set down the hall behind Luke. "I don't like this at all." Chewbacca growled in agreement.

They made their way slowly down the hall with Artoo leading the group, beeping softly. Luke slowly turned his head to glance back ay Han and Chewbacca.

"Guys!" he called to them, barely above a whisper. They slowly came to a halt as Han eyed Luke nervously.

"Yeah kid?"

"A stormtrooper squad is coming up on us from behind." Luke reached out with the force. "They're about fifty troopers, and they know were here."

Luke looked at Han, a look of determination on his face. he quickly turned down the corner. "Let's go then!"

The group broke into a run as the first laser bolts echoed out down the corridor, their stealth abandoned in favor of speed.

The stormtrooper squad broke around the corner, charging after the group, weapons firing ceaselessly. Luke activated his lightsaber as he ran, and it came on, humming as he deflected laser bolts back at their enemy. Han and Chewbacca ran with Luke, turning their heads whenever possible in order to aim a shot or two at the troopers.

Artoo struggled to keep up after them on his treads while he emitted little electronic shrieks.

As a corner came up, Luke stopped running, and jumped around, deflecting laser after laser while the rest of the group rounded the corner. As soon as Luke sensed that they were safe, he deactivated his lightsaber, and broke back into a run rounding the corner seconds later, sliding to a stop in front of the rest of the group.

He focused all of his senses on the army of Stormtroopers behind him, and then stopped short.

"Come on kid we gotta keep moving!" Han called out to Luke.

Luke slowly shook his head, looking down the empty corner, as he felt the stormtroopers with the force. "Han." He paused, speaking slowly. "They've stopped chasing us."

Han slowly made his way towards Luke. "What?" he asked confused.

"They've stopped chasing us entirely." Luke paused, trying to get a better read on them. "They're just… waiting down the hall." Luke slowly, cautiously pulled out his lightsaber and activated it with a snap-hiss. "I'm beginning to agree with you Han." Luke looked down the hallway, his sight blocked by the corner a few meters ahead. "I don't like this one bit." He slowly made his way forwards, lightsaber held close to his face.

His heartbeat started to pick up as he made his way down the hallway, stretching out with the Force, his whole energy focused on the stormtroopers at the end of the hall around the corner. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

They were traveling slowly down the hall in a tight pack, when Luke drew his senses off the stormtroopers and he felt the five presences around them, but at that point it was too late. The five guards had already materialized around them, one by one, each wielding nasty looking double bladed vibro-staffs.

As Luke looked around at the red guards, a primitive, hungry voice spoke out to him in his head. _Kill them._ It said to him. _Make them pay for what they did to Mara._

Luke shook his head and pushed the voice away. It was the voice of the dark side of the Force, he knew. He would only fight these guards to save his friends, and he would inflict no more pain than absolutely necessary.

"well." Said Han. "I always wondered what fighting these guys would be like."

"Trust me." Said Luke as he cautiously turned around, eyeing his numerous enemies. "You don't want to know."

With that, the guards attacked, one bringing his blade down bearing on Luke's head. He crouched down to the ground, deflecting another blade aimed at his torso, and using the guard's momentum, flung him over his head down the hall.

With that guard now behind Luke, the passageway ahead was cleared. "Go!" he shouted out to Han and Chewbacca, who both waisted little time in running for the corner.

One guard broke off from the rest of the group and began to chase them. Luke flung the guard back towards him with the Force and brought his blade up above his head to block another vibro-blade.

Another guard slammed down on Luke's lightsaber, and another yet, until all five of them were shoving down with their vibro-blades on Luke's lightsaber. Although his arms were tough, and he was strengthening his muscles with the Force, the combined strength of the guards was slowly but steadily causing the lightsaber to sink down closer and closer to Luke's head.

Luke gritted his teeth, and dropped down to the floor, rolling out from the circle created by the guards, as momentum caused all of their blades to slam into the ground that Luke had inhabited seconds earlier with mighty force.

Luke deactivated his lightsaber and hung it at his belt as he ran towards the corner. He suddenly jumped into the air, turning towards the guards, and expertly caught a vibro-staff aimed at his torso in midair. As soon as he landed back onto the ground, he flung it and it sliced through the air back at the guards.

* * *

"Major Glavnyy to the bridge." Pellaeon tapped the holotable, and the Major appeared at one fourth of his normal size.

"Report Major." Commanded Thrawn coolly.

The Major took a deep breath and began his report. "Sir, we pursued the Rebels, leading them towards your special unit, where they were engaged in combat. They then escaped."

Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "Well, where are they now Major?"

The man gulped. "Well, there's been some confusion about that, sir. They appear to have disappeared."

Thrawn's face darkened. "connect me with General Okhrana immediately, Major."

Pellaeon raised an eyebrow. It was not a name he was familiar with, and he knew all the general's in the Imperial fleet. Pellaeon wondered how he didn't know this man.

His question was answered when the man came onto the hologram. He was taller in stature then Glavnyy and wore blood red robes.

Pellaeon sucked in a breath. The leader of the Royal guards.

He spoke in a cold, gender neutral, electronically distorted voice. The voice of a killer, Pellaeon thought to himself. "We engaged the enemy here sir, and the Jedi put up a fight before fleeing." The guard paused. "We pursued them around a corner, only to find that they had disappeared."

Thrawn's displeasure became evident. "Keep searching for them General. Have you anything else to add?"

The guard nodded. "Yes sir. The Jedi fatally wounded one Guard and three troopers."

Pellaeon took a step back. Skywalker had managed to kill a royal guard? He glanced at Thrawn's face, to find that he was in the same state of shock as Pellaeon. However, after a few moments, Thrawn's face hardened, and his shock disappeared.

"Is that all General?"

The man nodded, and he disappeared, slowly fading away.

Pellaeon slowly turned towards Thrawn. "I was not aware that they were capable of failure, sir."

Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "Neither was I, Captain." He paused, stroking his chin. "Now, where could our rebel friends have gone?"

Pellaeon held up a finger. "I think I may have an idea, sir." Thrawn gestured for Pellaeon to continue. "Sir, there is an entrance to the ventilation system in the same corridor that they vanished." He paused, allowing Thrawn to fill in the blanks.

He tilted his head to the side. "You believe that they went up the ventilation shaft captain?" he asked softly.

Pellaeon nodded. "I do sir. It is certainly large enough to hold an astromech, and a crouching human."

Thrawn nodded slowly. "Yes." He paused, turning to Pellaeon. "Yes, I think you may be right Captain. Seal the ventilation system off from the rest of the ship, and flood it with nerve gas."

Pellaeon nodded, and typed on his datapad, only to find a red message appear in response. His face revealed his surprise.

"Something wrong, Captain?"

"Yes sir." Responded Pellaeon, frowning. "My access to the ventilation system has been blocked."

Thrawn now had also picked up Pellaeon's frown. "Blocked?"

"Yes sir. I no longer have access to the ventilation system. The codes must have changed."

"Very well." Responded Thrawn. "Use my personal codes."

Pellaeon overrode the block with the Thrawn's personal codes, the highest access that could be approved in the Empire. Apparently, his datapad disagreed with him, when it came back with the same message.

Thrawn's eyes widened and then narrowed as Pellaeon spoke. "Sir, your access has been blocked as well."

"The droid." He said through gritted teeth. "He changed the access codes." Thrawn quickly strode over to the port side crew pit. "Crypt officer!" he called down.

A man looked up. "Yes sir?"

"Please slice my personal override code lieutenant."

The man's eyebrow raised, as his puzzlement became clear. "Sir…?"

"You need not comprehend lieutenant." Said Thrawn, his voice suddenly very cold. "Just execute."

The man gulped and then nodded as he set to work on the changed code. Thrawn turned back towards Pellaeon. "There is now no doubt in my mind Captain; they have gone up the ventilation system." He paused. "Inform Major Glavnyy of their actions, and alert him that they are headed to the main hangar."

"Yes sir." Responded Pellaeon, with a small gulp.

* * *

Artoo made a fair amount of noise as he wheeled slowly through the shaft, his light shining the way for the group. Han, Chewbacca and Luke all crept along on all fours, careful to not make any more noise, as to not draw attention to themselves.

"Do you think that they've figured out we're in the ventilation?" Han whispered to Luke.

He tried to turn his head to respond. "probably." Luke smiled. "And they've probably found out that Artoo changed their access codes too."

Suddenly Artoo stopped in front of a metal grate and beeped out quietly. "He says that this is it." Luke whispered to Han and Chewbacca, who growled softly.

"Yea I agree." Whispered Luke. "I'll go down first, and then catch you guys."

Han nodded. "good plan."

Luke slowly made his way around Artoo and slid the grate to the side. He quickly jumped down and landed silently on the ground.

Right in a circle of about ten stormtroopers.

Luke sighed, and before any of them even had a chance to speak, he activated his lightsaber, and swung around in a large arc, quietly killing them.

Luke looked around the hangar, to find tons of white armored stormtroopers taking cover, blasters aimed at the various entrances to the blast doors. They were still apparently oblivious to Luke's presence.

He sighed in relief and then looked back up at the shaft, to find Han's face staring down at him. Luke gave a slow thumbs up, and Han slowly lowered himself through the hole, and dropped. He hovered in the air, coming down slowly towards the ground as Luke carefully set him down with the Force.

He did the same for Chewbacca and Artoo, both landing slowly and quietly on the ground. Luke pointed at a ship two ships over. Han's face lit up as he instantly recognized the _Flacon_ , and the group slowly made their way over to the slightly damaged ship.

Luke held his deactivated Lightsaber in his hands, while he carefully surveyed the stormtroopers. He saw one wearing a shoulder pad – the leader, he assumed – reach up towards his helmet, and activate his comm.

Luke fingered the activation switch on his lightsaber as he watched the commander slowly reach down from the comm in his helmet after apparently not receiving a response.

Then, Luke saw the stormtrooper's head shift as he tried to look behind him for the squad that Luke had just killed. The man saw Luke, and quickly stood, his finger on the trigger of his blaster.

Luke ignited his lightsaber and brought it up just in time to block the laser.

And with that, the whole rest of the stormtroopers were alerted to their presence as they all started to turn, and fire off shot after shot.

Han cursed under his breath and the group ran towards the _Flacon_ at full speed. Luke deflected bolt after bolt as they made their way towards the ship.

As they arrived at the gangway, Luke turned to face the troopers, as Han and Chewbacca ran onto the ship, the former's boots smacking on the metal floor.

As Luke deflected lasers, he suddenly heard gunfire behind him within the ship alongside angry shouts. He quickly turned and saw Han and Chewbacca fighting with a few stormtroopers before a blossom of pain exploded is his shoulder as a blast hit him, flying clean through his shoulder to the deck behind him.

It hit his right arm, and Luke went down with a shout of pain, as he dropped his lightsaber. His vision was slightly blurred, but he managed to turn his head enough to look behind him and find that Chewbacca and Han had apparently won against the internal threat. Luke felt Han grab him under his arms as he was dragged to safety.

Already the gangway was closing, but Luke managed to reach out to the Force just in time to send his lightsaber spin into the _Falcon_ , sending it bouncing off the wall and landing of the floor with a ding.

Luke heard shouting around him, but he had trouble hearing. He heard a loud rushing in his ears, as he felt the excruciating pain. It surged through him, sending waves through his body. For a second that was all that he could feel. Then, through the pain, he felt something else. Something human. He reached out with the force, attaching to the presence of the person he felt.

The _Flacon_ slowly lifted off as Luke smiled slightly despite the pain. "She's alive." He said to himself, barely above a whisper, as he closed his eyes and passed out on the deck of the ship.


	25. Chapter 25

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

"Sir!" Pellaeon glanced up from his datapad at Commander Dreyf, as also Thrawn turned to view the man with a great intensity; a worried expression was displayed on his face for all to see. Dreyf gulped. "They've escaped!"

Pellaeon swore under his breath. "Order all gunning crew to their weapons and open fire on that ship as soon as possible!" He took a step towards gunnery operations-

"Belay that order Commander," Thrawn said, arms crossed, a small smile on his face, glowing red eyes sweeping over Pellaeon. "Raise the shields; activate the tractor beams."

Pellaeon spun back to him. "But sir-"

Thrawn interrupted him with an upraised hand. "We don't want to kill Captain Solo, nor Jedi Skywalker." Thrawn beckoned Pellaeon over to the tactical display where the seemingly small _Millennium Falcon_ fled from the _Chimaera_. Already several blue cones were fading into existence, each representing a different tractor beam.

"They do, after all, carry the message of my existence, captain." Thrawn paused, turning to Pellaeon. "In fact, we actually want them to escape."

"Sir!" Pellaeon exclaimed. "We cant just-"

Again, Thrawn cut him off with a raised hand. "Captain, once news of my existence hits the Rebellion, they will be experiencing to much turbulence to deal with us. The senate will freeze any military action." He paused, turning to Dreyf.

"Commander, alert Captain Brandei and Captain Harbid that we will shortly be joining the fleet." Thrawn turned back to Pellaeon, just as he began to understand.

"It's time," Pellaeon said slowly. "For the assault on Balmorra?"

Thrawn dipped his head down in a small nod. "Very good Captain. The perfect time has come at last." Thrawn coolly strode over to the frontal viewport. "We seek only to provide the illusion of a close escape, as to prevent them from understanding our plans."

Pellaeon strode up to Thrawn's side at the forward viewport, just in time to see the _Falcon_ shoot past the bow of the ship, though it was going noticeably slower than normal.

"Order the tractor beam crews to slow down just a tad bit, commander." Thrawn addressed Dreyf without turning away from the viewport.

As Pellaeon glanced out, his eyes following the ship, and with one last strained flicker of pseudomotion, it disappeared, presumably heading towards Coruscant to deliver the news that Thrawn was well and alive.

Suddenly, a thought struck Pellaeon, and he glanced down at his chrono as a frown began to dance across his face. He looked back up at Thrawn. "But sir, they have a class point five hyperdrive!" He paused, glancing at Thrawn's face for any sign of worry. He found none. "They'll make it to Coruscant before we will be able to join the fleet, much less begin the attack at Balmorra!"

Thrawn turned to Pellaeon. "Quite the contrary Captain." He corrected. "The inspection crew found their hyperdrive to be badly damaged." Thrawn slowly made his way over to the holotable. "They'll be using their class ten hyperdrive to limp to Coruscant; I find that we will have adequate time."

Thrawn pulled up a holomap of the galaxy that showed a blinking blue dot slowly traversing from their location towards the core. Thrawn glanced back at Pellaeon.

Pellaeon felt a smile creep onto his face. "You attached a homing beacon to their ship, sir?"

Thrawn nodded. "I like to leave very little to chance, captain. Now, we will know exactly when they arrive."

Thrawn rose up from the holotable.

"Now, captain. You may join the rest of the fleet when ready." Thrawn began to head out of the bridge. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me, captain."

Pellaeon stared at Thrawn as he made his way off the bridge. He was going to study several select pieces of art, no doubt. Pellaeon smiled again. Though he may never understand the man, he knew that one way or another, Thrawn was going to lead them to victory over the Republic.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present. Also thanks to Wayland corp 4 for his/her many helpful comments.**

She came into a state between consciousness, and asleep, very slowly. It took her a second to remember where she was, and it took her even longer to remember how she got there. When she thought back to prior events, she had a bit of trouble remembering her name, but like the many other memories, it came to her in time.

Mara Jade.

As she slowly achieved total consciousness, she looked around her gathering her surroundings. She was trapped in on two sides by massive cliffs that hung above her. She had managed to crawl out of the water, and now only her legs remained wet. The rest of her body was caked with dried mud, baked by the sun of the jungle planet. Mara frowned, trying to remember its name. Caarimon. Its name came to her slowly, longer than it should have taken.

Mara accidentally bit down on her tongue in anger, and she realized just how dry her mouth was. She gave out a small cough. The sun was just beginning to rise, and that meant that she must have spent a few hours floating or washed up on the riverbed. She groped for her shoulder and gingerly felt it. Her healing trance had worked, only small amounts of pain came down her arm at her touch.

Mara tried to move her leg, and gritted her teeth in pain, abandoning the effort. It appeared that her leg had not healed as well as her shoulder.

She again drifted in and out of consciousness and dehydration, as she uselessly clawed her way forwards at the pebbles, in an attempt to reach some shade.

Realizing that her efforts were futile, Mara rolled over onto her back looking up from the bottom of the crevice, to the planet above. she blinked from the harsh sun that struck her in the face.

A small wave washed over her legs. Mara rose her head and stared at the river. She had to keep herself from trying to drink the river water, despite her bodily instincts. She had no idea how many germs were in there.

She set her head down in frustration on the pebbles as her dehydrated and exhausted mind tried to work out ways for her to escape.

Apparently, her brain was not ready for such strenuous effort, and black spots began to cloud her vision. She struggled to stay conscious. Her eyes closed, and she opened them again.

Again, her eyes closed, and she opened them again, only to find a strange face looming over hers. She shuddered slightly, and opened her mouth to yell out in surprise, but no sound came out. Slowly, she relaxed her body. She was in no condition to fight now.

Mara closed her eyes and felt arms drag her across the ground. She felt herself being dragged along the riverbed, and she slowly, reluctantly closed her eyes, as she passed out yet again, sending herself into another healing trance.

Mara woke yet again, in a much darker place. She opened her eyes fully, without having to worry about the sun. Mara gathered her surroundings. Straw, or some kind of fibrous material surrounded her. A house perhaps, or a small hut. With a bit of effort, she turned her head to look over to her left and saw the source of light in the darkened room. It looked like nothing she recognized, and defiantly didn't look mechanic.

She slowly looked to her right, to find the strange face that she had seen earlier, but this time she saw his body as well. _Human._ She thought to herself. She slowly raised her arm, and stretched out with the force, channeling the energy towards the man. He slammed into the wall, and slumped down, propped up by the wall.

She sat up with as much speed as she could muster, and slowly stood, wincing in pain, though her condition had improved. She instinctively grabbed for her lightsaber, but her hand came up empty.

She swore under her breath and started to hobble out of the room. She looked behind her to see the human rising. He started to shout out at her.

"Stop!"

With one final glance at him, she sped out of the room as quickly as possible, and then cried out in pain as she fell, hitting the ground hard. She looked behind her, and saw the rock that had caused her to trip. She swore under her breath as pain danced along in her leg, and she curled up into a fetal position, putting herself in another healing trance.

Mara woke yet again in the same room. She coughed slightly and found her throat to be noticeably less dry than before. She again felt her leg and could only feel muted traces of pain. She again looked over to her right to find her captor in the same position as before.

She reached a hand out to him, immersing herself in the force in preparation to fling him across the room when the human cried out.

"No, please! Stop!"

Mara flattered, lowering her hand slightly, and then raised it again, prepared to strike.

Her captor called out one last time. "Please." He said slowly.

Mara sighed, and slowly lowered her hand, really looking at the man for the first time. He had a wiry frame, one that was covered with dirt and grime, though he held himself tall, as though he was proud of his humble abode. As she looked him up and down, she realized something else. He was just a child. No more than thirteen.

The kid cautiously approached her, holding something in his hand. He reached his arm out, offering her the object, and as soon as Mara took it, the kid slunk away to the wall of the room, as far away as he could get from Mara.

Her eyebrow rose. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she pointed at the foreign object in her hand.

The child did not respond, instead he made a drinking motion with his hands. Mara looked down at the object. It appeared to be a water bottle of sorts. She unscrewed its cap, and brought it to her lips, searching the kid's face for any sign of treachery or deceit.

Finding none, she tilted the bottle upwards, and drunk from it. Fresh water rushed down her throat, cool in comparison to her warm throat.

She pulled the bottle from her mouth, licking her lips.

"Thanks kid." She sat up, glancing at the boy. "Now, where am I, and who are you?"

His eyebrows furrowed together, as he opened his mouth to speak, closing it again.

Mara's eyebrow lifted. "What, don't you speak Basic?"

The boy shook his head. "No." He pointed at himself, and then though for a second about what he was going to say next. "Understand."

Mara nodded. Just what she needed. A kid who couldn't speak Basic, her only companion on the planet. She looked back at the light. "What's that?" she asked pointing at it.

"Plant." The boy responded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Plant glow." He made a cutting motion with his hands and then pointed at the light.

Mara got up on her second try, and though she was a bit unsteady she carefully made her way towards the light. She peered in, and sure enough saw the stalk of a plant inside. Before coming to Caarimon, she had read about the indigenous life on the planet, but haven't found anything about glowing plants.

She made her way out of the hut, to find that it was nighttime.

The boy cautiously flowed her out, and he tugged on her sleeve. She turned towards him.

"How you push me?" he asked, referring to Mara's failed escape attempt.

"Ah." She responded reaching out with the force. A tough question to answer. "Have you heard of the Force before?"

The boy nodded. "Legends." He said.

"Alright." She responded, reaching out and focusing her energy on a large rock nearby. "Well, I have the Force." She slowly raised the rock from the ground for emphasis, and then set it down carefully.

She glanced back at the boy and gave out a laugh. His expression was priceless. Open mouth; wide eyes. He shook his head slightly, and then looked back at her, giving a small applause. Mara looked around. The hut she was in only had two rooms, and it was the only one in sight.

"Hey, kid?" she asked him. "Where are your parents?"

He didn't respond, instead he looked at her, and an unsaid wave of understanding passed between them. Mara looked out into the jungle again. "Ah." she said. Poor kid. No parents. She wondered how they had died.

Mara looked up at the sky and saw tiny pinpricks of light dotting the night. She let out a breath. "You don't get a view like that on Coruscant." As she slowly turned in a circle however, the purity of the night sky was interrupted by a massive floating object in the sky that was emitting light, acting as an ugly blotch amidst the beauty.

"Well," she said to herself. "I'm gonna assume that that's the capitol city." She glanced down at the kid, pointing at the floating city. "How do we get up there?"

The boy pointed deep into the jungle. "Ship there." He said, forming the words.

She sighed and started off into the jungle. "Well we'd better get going."

Suddenly the kid grabbed her arm. "No," he said. "Dangerous at…" he trailed off.

"Dangerous at night?" she filled in for him. He nodded vigorously. "Alright then," she responded. "Let's go back into you hut, but as soon as morning comes, I'm going after that ship."

She headed back inside, and plopped down on the straw bed, closely followed by the kid. He looked her up and down and pointed at her shoulder.

"What happen?" he asked cautiously.

She rubbed her shoulder. "I was shot in my shoulder and my leg." She pointed at her knee. "And then I fell off the cliff into the river." She paused. "Fortunately, I put myself in a healing and meditation trance. I almost disconnected from the force entirely but managed to cling on." She looked at him an smiled slightly. "You probably don't understand a word I'm saying."

He nodded. "Understand."

"Alright then." Mara responded, instinctively reaching down towards her belt to feel her lightsaber. It was a few seconds before she remembered that she had lost it. She turned to him. "Hey, do you know where my lightsaber is?"

The kid raised an eyebrow in confusion. Mara sighed. How would he know what a lightsaber was? "It's a long metal tube." She made a few hand gestures.

It took a few seconds, and then the boy's face lit up in recognition, and he ran into the other room, rummaging around. He came back seconds later, holding it in his hand. He gave it to her.

"I save it." He said proudly.

"Well done." Responded Mara. She fingered its ignition switch, and activated it, its blue blade shooting into life. The kid scrambled away in fear, his eyes wide. "Its ok." She said. "Its not going to hurt you." She paused. "Just don't touch it."

The kid nodded, seeming to accept Mara's words, and leaned forwards with a gulp to get a better view of the blade. She deactivated it, clipping it back onto her belt, after rubbing off some mud and dirt. She turned to him. "What's your name?" she asked him.

He responded in an alien language, slowly pronouncing each letter. "Iyyona Yodwa."

"Alright Iyyona." She said. "We better work on your Basic if I'm to understand you."


	27. Chapter 27

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Iyyona lead, expertly threading his way through the forest effortlessly, while Mara struggled to keep up, cutting down an extremely large plant in her way with her lightsaber.

It seemed to her that they had been traveling for days, though she knew in the back of her mind that it had only been several hours. The jungle had a way of distorting time that she had trouble understanding. Mara looked upwards, to find the sun high in the middle of the sky, staring back down at her.

At her wish, they had left at the very crack of dawn in an effort to make it to the ship before sundown. Mara shook her head. She still didn't really believe that there was a ship down in the jungle somewhere, and even if it did, Mara would be surprised if it worked.

She stumbled over a high root, but quickly righted herself. Iyyona glanced back at her, a bit of concern showing in his eyes.

"I'm alright." She said, continuing to try and keep up with him. "Let's keep going."

Iyyona nodded. "Keep going." He echoed, turning away from her to continue navigating through the harsh jungle. He moved as though he knew the place with his eyes closed. She imagined that he probably did.

Mara closed her own eyes for a second. The Force was strong in this plant, weaving through all of the forest life.

Opening her eyes, she rubbed off some sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The Jungle was hot and humid, causing her to sweat profusely. That, coupled with the strong chirping and buzzing of various bugs led Mara to dislike of the Jungle.

Mara slashed through a branch blocking her way that Iyyona had so expertly moved past.

It fell to the jungle floor with a thud, and she made her way over to Iyyona who had stopped his forward traverse. She grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey kid, what's wrong?"

He turned towards her, eyes wide. "M-monsters come." Was all he could stutter out.

Mara released his shoulder, reactivating her lightsaber and brought it to an _en garde_ position, close to her face. "I don't like that tone Iyy." She said turning in a circle. "No, I don't like it one bit."

He crept up behind her to hide from the unseen threat, and then in a flash, Mara realized the young boy's fear.

Three large beasts jumped into view, stalking around in a circle, each with unhurried, sinuous, fluid movement. With their raven black coats, they seemed to resemble Karrde's Vornskr's, only larger and with more teeth. They growled deep guttural howls, their claws meanly glinting in the sunlight.

Iyyona grabbed her sleeve, with his shuddering hand.

"What is it kid?" she asked him through gritted teeth, not willing to turn around away from the animals. she jabbed her lightsaber out every once and a while in an attempt to scare the beasts off. Her blade seemed to work, but she knew they would eventually get over their fears, as they grew hungry.

"Four!" He responded nervously, his voice gaining volume on his second call. "Four!"

Mara raised her eyebrow, not understanding what the kid was saying. There were clearly three. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot up. She swore under her breath.

"Get Down!" she called to the Iyyona.

Fortunately, he had the good sense to duck, as Mara quickly spun her lightsaber around her in an arc motion, cleanly decapitating the animal behind her, its heavy head falling to the ground with a thud.

Mara turned back to the other animals. They apparently didn't appreciate the sudden death of their friend, and with one guttural scream, they attacked, one charging forwards. While two leaped into the air, bearing down on her.

She quickly reached out to the life force of the planet, channeling it into the two animals flying at her in the air.

They were sent soaring backward by an invisible hand, landing with whimpers and moans. The third Animal continued his charge towards her, and Mara barely had time to jump out of the way, her lightsaber leaving burn marks on the ground.

The animal turned to stare at her, and its great yellow, black-slitted orbs caught her vision for a few moments before the animal lowered his head, and again began to charge at her, its thick, sinewy shoulders pounding on the ground, showing her its great strength. Mara raised her lightsaber, and when the animal got close enough, she jumped in the air, and landed, quickly cutting the animal in half.

She turned her dirt-smeared face towards the other two animals that she had blown away, and they both reluctantly limped out of sight, too injured to continue.

Mara slowly deactivated her lightsaber, and slumped slightly from the encounter, quickly righting herself. She made her way over to Iyyona, who was trembling as he hid behind a bush, curled up into a little ball.

'She bent down, slowly grabbing his shoulder. "Hey, Iyy, it's just me. I got them all, don't worry."

He slowly opened his eyes, glancing around at the dead animal corpses, and then up at Mara. "You win?" he asked cautiously.

She nodded. "I did." Mara rose from her crouch. "Now, we had better get going if we want to survive through the rest of the day."

Iyyona nodded, more to himself than to Mara, and slowly, slightly unsteadily rose to his feet. He pointed at a large tree in front of them. "Ship that way." He said slowly, making his way forward, with Mara closely in tow.

As they made their way deeper into the jungle, Mara wondered if Iyyona had ever seen those beasts before. _Probably._ She thought to herself sarcastically. _They're kind of hard to miss._

Iyyona passed through some thick foliage, and Mara replicated the maneuver. She stepped out of the large bush into a clearing that held… Mara squinted. A ship? It hardly looked like one. More like a scrap heap of metal.

But Iyyona waved his hands towards the ship in a gleeful gesture. "Ship!" he called to her excitedly.

Mara nodded, and her cheek twitched. "I see that kid." She lowered her tone to a murmur. "I'd be surprised if that thing can make it in the air, much less towards the city."

She approached it slowly. To her surprise, it almost appeared to be a derelict and mutated Skipray. Mara approached the cockpit, rubbing her hand on the plexiglass to rid it of dirt.

Promisingly, the interior of the ship appeared to be in slightly better condition than its body paneling.

Mara again rubbed some dirt off the side of the ship, in an effort to find the canopy unlock switch. She eventually found it, and pushed it, waiting for the canopy to open. It didn't budge. She sighed and turned back to Iyyona.

"Kid, you're absolutely sure that this is the only ship?

He nodded, echoing her. "Only ship."

She sighed again. "I was afraid of that." Mara reached down to grip the edge of the canopy, pulling it upwards. It refused to budge at first, but as Mara heaved, she slowly gained ground until it was fully raised, beckoning her inside. She carefully lowered herself into the musty seat and landed with a poof of dust.

She coughed as Iyyona climbed in behind her. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I go with you." He said, his face strongly set, a firm look in his eyes.

Mara shrugged and turned back forwards in her seat. She searched for the ignition switch, and pressed it, crossing her fingers.

To Mara's surprise, the ship started up relatively quickly, blue light flooding over her face. Again, crossing her fingers, she pressed the canopy button, and with the sound of grinding metal, it slowly gave way and began to close.

She sighed and slumped slightly in her seat. They had made it. Mara again glanced behind her at Iyyona who was looking around excitedly at the many blue lights that had suddenly come on.

She grabbed the etheric rudder, and slowly nudged it back and forth, warming up the engines. To her relief, Mara felt the ship hum as they somehow came alive.

Mara slowly raised the ship off the ground, turning it in a lazy circle towards the city. When the city was in the middle of Mara's sights, she slowly pressed down on the etheric rudder, urging the ship forwards, gathering speed as they flew.

As chunks of dirt and debris fell off the ship towards the planet below, Mara glanced at the dash, wondering what else the ship could do. Her eyebrows raised as her gaze fell on a lever. "This ship has a hyperdrive?" she said quietly, again glancing back at Iyyona who was struggling to look down at the planet below through the viewports.

They shot past the city as the ship still gathered speed. She looked down at the speed dilator, and her eyebrows raised in amazement. They were already traveling faster than the top speed of one of Karrde's Skiprays.

She pushed down further on the rudder, sending the ship into an even faster speed, wondering what it could do.

In a matter of seconds, they screamed out of the atmosphere, and Mara patched Karrde's frequency and code into the ships sensor array system, hoping that it still worked. It did, and a single short document appeared on her console. She read through it and sighed, shaking her head again.

Karrde was always on the move.

Looking down at the nav computer, she came up slightly surprised to find that the ship already had the Balmorra system programmed into it.

Nodding her head, she pushed down on the lever, and with one last flicker of pseudomotion, they shot off into hyperspace.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author Notes: Enjoy, Comment if you like or see any errors. I don't own any of the characters or places present.**

Quickly opening the double doors to the Senate chamber, Han rushed into the Alderaanian pod, with Luke and Chewie closely behind him.

Technically he was in the wrong area; the Alderaan pod was reserved for Alderaanian personnel only, however, there was no smuggler delegation, so the Alderaanian pod was all he had.

Yularen was already present, and he gave a curt nod to Han, which he returned. A small smile crept across Han's face when he saw the two armed palace guards in the pod. Apparently, the Republic didn't trust Yularen yet. At least not fully.

Before turning his head back towards the Senate, Han saw a strange look pass over Luke's face at the sight of Yularen, but then quickly disappear. The kid still carried himself with a small limp from their narrow escape.

Han shook his head, dismissing these thoughts. He had more important things to focus on right now.

Like disrupting an entire senate proceeding.

Unfortunately, Fey'lya took keen notice of Han's interruption. While all other senators came to an abrupt silence at Han's unexpected arrival, Fey'lya took the chance to begin questioning Han.

"what is the meaning of this? You can't just interrupt– "

Mon mothma waived a hand a Fey'lya motioning for him to be quiet, not taking her eyes off Han. "Captain Solo, are you quite alright?"

Han quickly looked down at his ragged and slightly ripped clothes, and then back up at the chancellor. _Maybe,_ he thought to himself, _it would have been a good idea to change before interrupting the Senate._ "Yes Chancellor, I'm great, thank you." Han paused, looking around at the numerous assembled senators. He had hoped that Leia would have been here to help him through this, but apparently, she had gone on another trip. "I apologize for my sudden appearance, but I have just come from the _Chimaera_ , Imperial flagship."

At this, hushed muttering traveled around the room, as many senators recognized the name of Thrawn's former ship. Han gritted his teeth. Not former anymore.

"while captured and held aboard the ship myself, along with Luke," he gestured behind him. "And Chewbacca encountered someone strange." Han paused, letting these words sink in. "We had a meeting with someone supposedly dead."

Han again looked around him at the many senator's present, all leaning forwards in anticipation of his next words. "We had a meeting with seemingly deceased Grand Admiral Thrawn."

Han let these words sink in, and they hit the Senate hard. There was utter silence, and several senators shook their heads in disbelief while others nodded in agreement. Even Mon Mothma seemed surprised by Han's comment; her mouth hung slightly open.

 _Inevitably_ , Han thought to himself, _the silence will be broken by Fey'lya, as all peaceful silences are. It's only a matter of time._

Therefore, Han was unsurprised when a ripple ran through his coat, and Fey'lya opened his mouth to speak. "Are you suggesting, Captain Solo, that somehow, Thrawn has risen from the dead?"  
Fey'lya smirked. "Perhaps to give our children nightmares?"

Han shook his head. "Fey'lya this is real. Thrawn is back. I think that he might have never been dead in the first place, and that one way or another, our intel was false."

Mon mothma slowly spoke, her question aimed at Yularen. "Colonel, were you aware of this?"

Yularen himself held a look of disbelief on his face before he composed himself and responded to Mon mothma's question, shaking his head. "I was not aware of Thrawn's still being alive, Chancellor."

He held up a hand to indicate that he was not finished speaking. "However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's not true." He paused, stroking his chin. "Thrawn was always fond of elaborate plans and spreading the seeds of confusion among his enemies. It's possible that he is still alive, and that his death was an elaborate ruse." Yularen paused. "Though I do think that it's unlikely."

A senator, one that Han didn't recognize, shouted from across the room. "The colonel is right! That's exactly what the Empire is attempting to do now! Plant falsified ideas in our minds to spread confusion, through this man!" he jutted one long bony finger out at Han, and it twitched slightly.

He pointed back at Luke, and he stepped forwards. "Luke Skywalker, a Jedi, also saw Thrawn, and can confirm his existence." Han replied, his voice tight. He was never one for politics, but to him, some of these people were utter fools to doubt his story.

Luke spoke, his calm voice washing over the chamber, in contrast to Han's. "It's true. Thrawn revealed his existence to us, and I am absolutely positive that it was him."

Mon mothma raised a single eyebrow. "But Jedi Skywalker, how can you be so sure?"

Luke gave a somber nod. "I was able to feel him through the force. It was the same Thrawn as before, no change. I can guarantee it."

Luke slowly stepped back, allowing Han to proceed. He sighed and stepped forwards as Fey'lya opened his mouth to make another snarky comment or question.

* * *

The Imperial fleet cut purposefully through space, leaving behind glowing drive trails. A staggering fleet of four Star Destroyers, ten Katana fleet dreadnoughts, and one Super Star Destroyer, this pinnacle of power was lead forwards by one sole ship.

A Mon Calamari cruiser.

Aboard the _Chimaera_ , Pellaeon intensely leaned over the holotable, staring at its contents. After a few moments, he raised himself up, and turned.

"Sir." He said, glancing at Thrawn. "They've arrived at Coruscant."

Thrawn turned away from the frontal viewport and purposefully made his way over to the captain. "Excellent captain." Thrawn arrived at the holotable, joining Pellaeon. "I trust you've run all necessary scans, and performed all necessary tests on the _Altruist_ to ensure she's ready for the imminent battle, Captain?"

Pellaeon quickly turned his head toward the frontal viewport, glancing at the Mon Calamari ship. Its lettering was hard to read, but he could still make it out. The _Altruist_. On the outside, it appeared to be a normal Mon Calamari ship, with no irregularities.

It was the inside that mattered.

Pellaeon turned his head back towards Thrawn. "Indeed sir." He paused. "All gravity will projectors are running full efficiency, and the droid brain is responding properly." He paused. "Your EMP bomb is also reporting regular conditions, sir."

"Very well, captain." Thrawn gestured at the holotable. "You may signal the rest of the fleet."

Pellaeon nodded. "Very well sir." He tapped a few switches on the console, and the four men flickered into view, in a fourth of their normal sizes on the holotable.

"Gentlemen," Thrawn began, his voice perfectly calm. "Today, we launch a major offensive against the Rebellion, continuing the fight that had recently been on hold." Thrawn paused, his glowing red eyes sweeping through the men. "Make no mistake, gentlemen, we will be victorious." Several of the captains' nodded in agreement.

"Now," Thrawn said, turning towards Pellaeon. "I leave you to it, captain."

Pellaeon nodded, turning back towards the holotable. " _Altruist_ , you may begin your launch when ready."

An electronic acknowledgment swept over the bridge of the Star Destroyer, and Pellaeon turned to see the _Altruist's_ engines flare. Moments later, with a flicker of pseudomotion, the ship vanished, heading at a rapid pace towards the Balmorra shipyards.

Thrawn nodded as Pellaeon turned his eyes away from the now empty space that once held the Mon Calamari cruiser.

"Captain," Thrawn said with his usual calm demeanor. "You may begin the countdown."

Pellaeon nodded. "Yes, sir."

Pellaeon turned back towards the miniature holograms. "Very well." He glanced down at his chrono. "Gentlemen: launch marks. _Judicator_ , four minutes."

Captain Brandei dipped his head down in a small nod. "Excellent Chimaera. _Judicator_ out." With that, he dissolved as the _Judicator_ raised its deflector shields in preparation for attack, cutting off any long-range transmissions.

Thrawn turned towards the next two men on the line. " _Bellicose_ and _Relentless_ , ten and a half minutes."

"Understood _Chimaera_." Captain Dorja said, and he cupped his right fist in his left, giving an ancient gesture of victory. " _Relentless_ out." Dorja's hologram sputtered, and then disappeared, as the _Relentless_ also raised her shields.

Captain Aban also gave a nod, a small smile on his face. "Acknowledged Chimaera. _Bellicose_ out."

Thrawn turned towards the last figure standing on the holotable: captain Carison, the current commander of the Super Star Destroyer, the _Mandator_. Despite his interesting backroad as part of Thrawn's personal Unknown regions fleet, he was a capable and competent captain. A small smile crept to Pellaeon's face. he wielded an incredible power, and he did it well.

"Mandator, also ten and a half minutes."

He nodded, seemingly calm. "Excellent Chimaera." He slowly dissolved.

Turning away from the holotable, Pellaeon strode up towards Thrawn, who was looking out to the assembled fleet. "Captain?" Thrawn called out to Pellaeon.

"Sir?" he responded, again searching his superiors' face for the stress that Pellaeon was sure Thrawn possessed. The same stress that currently held him in its grasp. It was as after all, as Thrawn had said. This was the beginning of the end of the Rebellion, not a data dump, or raid on some small insignificant system.

Thrawn's face held its calm and cool demeanor, as his glowing red eyes looked Pellaeon up and down. "Have you finished the checklist, captain?"

"Yes, sir," Pellaeon responded. "All captains' have reported in and are prepared for the battle. Possibly too prepared actually."

Thrawn's eyebrows shifted, one rising above the other. "You think that something is wrong, captain?" It was a statement, not a question.

Pellaeon quickly shook his head. "No, sir. I only meant that we are all anxious for this attack, though we have no doubt at our ability to win a decisive victory. I for one, sir, am familiar with your intense studying of the enemy."

Thrawn turned away from Pellaeon. "I see." He seemed to think for a few moments before glancing back at Pellaeon. "Well captain, we shall soon see if your beliefs are right, as I hope them to be."

Pellaeon looked out of the viewport, just in time to see the _Judicator's_ engines flare, as they also prepared for the jump to hyperspace.

Pellaeon turned back towards Thrawn. "Sir, are you sure that the _Altruist_ will make it through the blockade in the proper amount of time?"

Thrawn again turned to look at Pellaeon. "I am indeed, captain. The _Altruist_ will proceed behind the blockade at Balmorra exactly as planned, and we will successfully attack them from behind." Thrawn's glowing eyes drifted off Pellaeon and back out towards the surrounding space.

Pellaeon gulped and he too turned back to look out the viewport. On one side, Thrawn's intensity sent shivers up his spine. On the other, Pellaeon admired how sure the Grand Admiral was of his plans. As Pellaeon watched, the stars turned into starlines as they jumped into hyperspace seconds after the _Judicator_ , proceeding with haste to Balmorra.

* * *

Iyel slowly set himself down in the commanders chair on the bridge of the shipyard orbiting Balmorra. He slowly brought a cup to his lips – a strong whiskey – and took a slow sip.

It had not been that long ago when they received the order stating that the station was to begin production again. He took another sip of his drink. From what he had understood, some Republic hotshots had gotten scared about the disappearance of some task force and wanted more weapons to wave at the public.

He sighed. They could talk all they wanted, but the war had already been one, and the Republic was the victor. Apparently though, Rebel high command didn't agree with him, having reactivated the station. Iyel glanced out the forward viewport. There was that, and the blockade that had shown up recently.

Probably just jumping at the shadows. He took another sip of his drink. Consisting of two cruisers and four frigates, the station was practically untouchable now. Even if the Imperials attempted a full assault, chances were that they would lose.

Iyel smiled to himself at the thought of the imperial fleet sent scrabbling by the Balmorra fleet. By his fleet. His smile slowly faded away, and he took another drink. However, it wasn't as though this station had been attacked when there was no blockade. They had a long history of tranquility.

First, the station had belonged to the Empire. In fact, when the station had been under Imperial control, the rebels had never even attempted to take it – despite it being one of the largest arms manufacturers in the galaxy.

Eventually, after the battle of Endor when the Empire started to shrink, the heads of the system changed their allegiance to the Republic, and just like that, he was given this job.

He took another sip of his drink. He knew, however, that despite its change of allegiance, the station was still the same. If you looked, one would find the blueprints to Star Destroyers and AT-AT's still accessible. The machinery was still the same, it just produced different objects.

Iyel glanced down at the few men in front of him. "Hakk!" he called out to one.

The man slowly turned towards him. "Yea?"

Iyel set down his mug slowly, and carefully. "How we coming with the station traffic? Anything unusual?"

The man glanced at his scope. "Nope, we've got a couple of frigates, and one cruiser I think." He looked at his scope again. "Yea one cruiser. The _Altruist_."

Iyel smiled. Nothing unusual, nothing exciting, like usual. Just the way he liked it. "You cleared them?" he asked.

The man nodded. "They presented the proper clearance codes. If you want I can scan them." He paused. I'll need your authorization though."

Iyel shook his head and waved his hand. "Nah it's alright."

Suddenly the door to the bridge slowly opened, and Iyel looked to see who it was. He sighed. The Captain. He rolled his eyes. Ever since Vin had been transferred here, he had increased discipline and made even stricter rules. Cradling his mug with both hands, he awkwardly rose.

"You may be seated." The Vin said. "How's production coming today?"

Iyel plopped down in his chair and glanced down at his datapad. "On schedule sir, just like yesterday, and the day before that."

The Captain nodded. "Perfect. Any irregularities in the station traffic?"

Iyel gave out a quiet laugh. "You think the Empire's coming for this place?" he then shook his head. "Nah nothin' much. We got a cruiser, but other than that just a few frigates and small ships."

Vin walked over to Iyel and frowned. "What? I was unaware that any capital ships were scheduled for today."

Iyel sighed and pulled up the ship's file. "I don't know boss. All I know is that they encountered pirates, and fled here, seeking repairs."

His superior pointed out the viewport to the ship. "Scan her, under authorization Vin Reukli."

Iyel took another sip from his mug and glanced down at his datapad with a small roll of his eyes. "Yes, sir. Scanning them now." He looked down at his datapad, waiting a few moments before the ship's scan came back. He swirled his drink. "Alright. They're caring some light cargo, munitions, and foodstuffs." He paused squinting. "Woah. This ship's got four power cores."

"That's strange," Vin said. "Normal Mon Cala ships have one, two max." he turned his gaze away from the viewport, back to Iyel. "Continue, commander."

Iyel nodded, looking down at his datapad. "And a crew of…" he trailed off and rose from his seat slowly. "Crew of none. No life forms are on that ship."

Vin whipped his head towards the ship, and then back to Iyel in a flash. "Who's flying that thing?" Iyel shrugged. Vin's eyebrows furrowed. "What's her designation?"

"The _Altruist_ sir." He response, a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm sure its fine. No reason to panic."

Vin didn't take his eyes off the ship. He spoke, just above a whisper. "That's one of the ship's lost at Ord Trasi."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he spun towards Iyel. "Open fire on that ship!" he yelled, and he ran over to the weapons console.

It was too late. A call came from one of the many bridge crew. "Sir! ship accelerating towards the station!"

Another call came out. "Sir! We're detecting gravity anomalies around the ship!"

Iyel spun towards the man, sweat starting to form on his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked loudly.

"The computer is registering large gravitational pull there, and there, sir." The man said, as he pointed just behind and on either side of the blockade."

As if in a trance, Iyel slowly stepped forwards to look out the forward viewport, just in time to see two Star Destroyers appear on either side.

And with that, the battle for Balmorra had begun.

* * *

"Sir, we've properly arrived out of lightspeed at the expected location." Pellaeon turned his head from Thrawn, back towards the frontal viewport just in time to see the _Judicator_ arrive, pulled out of hyperspace by the immense gravity well projectors that they had installed on the _Altruist._ _Now,_ he thought to himself, _she just has to perform the second stage of Thrawn's plan._

Pellaeon turned back towards Thrawn. "Sir, the _Judicator_ has also successfully arrived out of hyperspace, and have commenced their attack."

Thrawn strode up next to him. "Excellent, captain. Now, I believe that we should follow captain Brandei's example, and begin our own attack. Please move towards red alert, and open fire on the enemy blockade."

As Pellaeon gave the order to the gunnery crews, Thrawn tapped his commlink on, and his cool, perfectly modulated voice swept over the ship. "All TIE fighter crews to their stations."

When Pellaeon looked out the furthest starboard viewport, he could see the rear of the enemy fleet, their drive trails shining bright. As he watched, green lasers streaked out from the _Chimaera's_ immense turbolaser system, hitting the unprepared and equally unshielded ships, sending debris shooting out into space.

"Excellent." Thrawn said under his breath next to Pellaeon. He raised his voice up to conversational level. "The enemy fleet is turning to intercept this new threat." Pellaeon looked hard and could see the very beginning of a smile creep into Thrawn's face. "Just as expected."

The floor beneath Pellaeon shuddered slightly, the telltale sign that lasers were slamming into the ship's shields.

"Sir!" came a call from the portside crew pit. "The manufacturing station has begun to fire on us!"

"The _Altruist_ will be in range shortly, sir." Said Pellaeon looking up from his datapad towards Thrawn.

"Excellent." Thrawn responded. He turned towards Pellaeon, as three TIE fighters screamed by the bridge, flying in tight formation. "Make sure, captain, that all TIE fighter crews are aware that they are not to harm the station in any way."

Pellaeon nodded, jolting the commands down on his datapad. "Yes, sir." He responded.

Thrawn turned away from the frontal viewport, and marched towards the holotable, gesturing at Pellaeon to follow. He dipped his head down in a nod and approached the holotable as well.

Thrawn keyed in a command, and the _Altruist_ appeared, shown in relative position to the station. "The Rebel manufacturing station will be within firing range in one minute." The main computer's electronic voice echoed over the bridge.

Nodding, Thrawn zoomed out in the tactical display, and they now watched the entire battle progress. "Alert the _Judicator_ that they must move portside three degrees to account for that frigate attempting to flank them, captain."

Pellaeon looked at the miniaturized version of the battle, and after a few moments spotted the frigate that Thrawn had spoke of.

Issuing the command, he shook his head. He would never have seen that small detail if it wasn't for Thrawn.

Suddenly, the main computer's voice echoed over the bridge. "The rebel manufacturing station will be within firing range in ten seconds."

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

The computer paused for a second and then spoke again. "The rebel manufacturing station is now within firing range."

Thrawn turned to the viewport to stare at the _Altruist_ as it came closer and closer to the station. Without turning his head, he issued a command to Pellaeon. "You may fire when ready, captain."

Pellaeon nodded, as he turned towards the gunnery officer. The man nodded, and then as Pellaeon turned to look at the _Altruist_ alongside Thrawn, the officer pushed down on a single button, and the space outside the Chimaera was instantly flooded with a white light.

A bright, blinding white light. One that filled every bit of darkness, one that burned as bright as a sun.

Pellaeon instinctively closed his eyes, but after a few seconds, the white flash was gone.

Slowly, apprehensively, he opened them again.

Only to find the station still orbiting the planet in one piece, as though nothing had changed. Nothing, other than the fact that the Altruist had suddenly, inexplicably disappeared.

For a few seconds, the hum that so normally occupied the bridge was replaced by an eerie silence. One single call from the Comscan officer at the portside crew pit broke this silence.

"Sir, we are detecting no traces of power from the station."

Another call came out. "Station has ceased firing upon us, sir."

Thrawn turned back towards Pellaeon, a glint in his eye. "Well done Captain. The Altruist performed her role perfectly. You may congratulate your engineers." He paused. "Now allow us to continue the attack."

"yes, sir." Pellaeon responded, glancing down at his datapad, as the floor beneath him shook slightly. "The rebel blockade has managed to turn a sufficient amount to intercept our fleet, although they have taken heavy damage."

"Very well captain. Drop the port shields, and boost power to all others." Bent over the holotable, Thrawn surveyed the battle. "Order all TIE fighter squadrons to converge on Rebel cruiser designation one, except for squadron five. They are to provide fighter cover."

"Yes, sir.' Pellaeon responded, nodding, as he looked to see the first X-wings stream out of the Rebel ships.

His boots echo on the floor was all the preparation Pellaeon received before commander Dreyf came up behind him. "Sir?" he called to Pellaeon.

Pellaeon slowly turned. "Yes, commander?"

Dreyf handed Pellaeon a datapad. "Moments before the _Altruist_ activated her EMP bomb sir, we encountered a ship attempting to dock with the station." He paused. "They were projecting false Id's of course sir, but I think you may recognize the real owner and use of this ship."

Pellaeon studied the ship, and then looked up a Dreyf, a small bit of surprise touching the edges of his eyes.

Thrawn silently strode up behind Pellaeon, and glanced at the datapad, before looking up again. "Talon Karrde is here?" he asked slowly, to no one in particular. "This is…" Thrawn paused. "Unexpected."

"Very well." Pellaeon said to Dreyf. "send a TIE squad to intercept and destroy, at once."

Dreyf nodded, turned, and had begun to walk towards starfighter operations when a well-modulated voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Please Belay that order Commander."

Pellaeon spun towards Thrawn in surprise. "Admiral–"

He was cut off by Thrawn's blue sinned hands. "The last thing that we want to do, captain, is risk damaging the station. Nor do we want to alert Karrde that we are aware of his existence." Thrawn licked his lips. "I for one, am very interested to see what course of action Karrde will pursue if left alone."

As Pellaeon and Thrawn viewed the tactical display, a Nebulon-B frigate appeared out of hyperspace. Thrawn's eyebrows rose, and he pointed at the ship. "Lock onto that ship with the tractor beams and please pull it into range, captain."

Pellaeon nodded and strode over to the tractor beam officer. "Lock onto that Nebulon-B frigate lieutenant." The man nodded and typed a few keys. "Yes, sir." He responded. Moments later, he looked back up at Pellaeon. "We have them in our grasp, sir."

Pellaeon nodded. "Well done lieutenant." He left the man and again headed towards the holotable. "Sir, we have the ship caught in our tractor beam." Pellaeon paused. "however, I'm afraid that I don't understand why you wanted this ship captured."

Thrawn removed his gaze from the tactical display, bringing it to bear on Pellaeon. "Captain, I would assume the answer to that question obvious." He paused. "We don't want any survivors of this battle, nor any witnesses to our destructive prowess."

Pellaeon reluctantly nodded. "Yes, sir." He said slowly, turning back towards the tactical display. He glanced down to consult his chrono, as the floor beneath him trembled slightly again. They were taking a good amount of damage between the two rebel capital ships, and the numerous frigates. Fortunately, their reinforcements were scheduled to arrive at any second.

"Sir, detecting three ships coming out of hyperspace now: two Star Destroyer class, one Super Star Destroyer class."

The call from the starboard side crew pit brought a small smile to Pellaeon's face. their reinforcements had arrived, and just like that, the battle was practically won.

* * *

Leia turned to Ackbar who sat in the captain's chair on the small bridge of the Nebulon-B frigate. "Well Admiral, do you believe that Balmorra will be as uneventful as the other shipyards?"

Ackbar nodded, his large head bobbing up and down. "I do indeed Senator." He paused. "A few manufacturing errors aside, I do believe that we may be coming to a calm end to our trip."

Leia silently nodded in agreement, turning forwards.

A call came from the man at the navigational console. "Sir, we'll be arriving in a few moments."

"Excellent," Responded Ackbar, his large eyes swiveling around. "Prepare the clearance codes to the shipyard."

Suddenly Leia frowned slightly. She reached out with her somewhat primitive force powers and came back feeling strange. Strange, and uneasy. She slowly dismissed these feelings and prepared for the exit from hyperspace.

The ship did not disappoint, and in a few seconds, the starlines turned to stars and they reverted to realspace at the Balmorra system.

Or what was left of it.

Leia sucked in a breath, as Ackbar simultaneously rose from his chair in awe. The Empire had come to Balmorra.

"It's a trap!" he exclaimed, just before numerous battle reports washed over the bridge.

"Sir!" the call came from a Calamarimari officer. "We're detecting two Imperial Star Destroyers in the system!"

Another call echoed around the bridge followed, by yet another.

"The station has totally lost power!"

"One of the Star Destroyers positively identified as the _Chimaera_!"

"The Republic fleet has been engaged and has suffered heavy damage!"

Fortunately, Leia thought to herself, they were out of range. Or so she thought, as the ship gave a shudder, and slowly started to drift towards the battle.

"Sir! They have us in their tractor beams!"

Leia turned towards the man who had spoken. "Reverse engines! Full power!"

The man nodded, and with a horrible screeching of metal, the ship groaned as it wriggled and twisted in a futile attempt to try and break free of the tractor beam. Unfortunately, it was no use, and the ship continued to drift into the battle, getting closer and closer with each passing second.

Leia spun to Ackbar in desperation. "Does this ship have any stage three torpedoes?"

Ackbar slowly shook his head, as he himself ran through the possibilities.

"Well, is there any what that we may be able to use a covert shroud gambit?"

Ackbar started shaking his head, and then suddenly stopped. He slowly turned his head towards Leia. "Senator, you may be onto something." He paused, again sitting down in his chair. "If you can find out how many escape pods this ship is equipped with, it will be of great help to us."

Leia nodded, and grabbed a datapad, logging in the question. She looked up. "About a hundred escape pods, admiral."

"Thank you, senator." Ackbar slowly allowed his eyes to sweep out the viewport, and then turned back towards Leia to speak. However, before he could, a voice called from the port side of the ship.

"Admiral! We are detecting three ships coming out of hyperspace!"

Leia's stomach sunk in her chest, and she slowly turned to the viewport of the ship, as if scared by what she might find.

Suddenly, two Star Destroyers appeared out of hyperspace in front of them. She closed her eyes slowly, in defeat, but then quickly opened them again, realizing that there were only two ships that had arrived.

Leia slowly joined Ackbar at the helm of the ship, as the third Imperial ship dropped out of hyperspace casually, as if knowing that just by its presence, the battle had been won.

For a second Leia could hear her heart beating, the noise throbbing in her ears. She stared up at the ship, its immense mass looming over their frigate, insignificant in comparison.

It eclipsed their ship in darkness, blocking out the space that had once held the sun, so bright and lively when compared with the dark knife looking ship that had just joined the battle.

No sound was made, no report called out. Everyone on the bridge, and on the frigate knew about the ship, and knew exactly what it was.

"A Super Star Destroyer." Ackbar whispered under his breath. He slowly turned towards Leia, for one his eyes deadly still. "I thought that we accounted for all of the Super Star Destroyers."

With her eyes locked on the ship, Leia gave off a rough shrug. "I thought so as well, Admiral." she whispered back. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Leia tore her eyes of the ship, and towards Ackbar. "Admiral, did you have a plan involving the escape pods?"

Ackbar also glanced away from the ship towards Leia, shaking his head slightly in surprise, before he slowly responded. "I did indeed, senator." He raised his voice. "Prepare to launch all escape pods on my signal." He walked over to the Holotable. "It's possible that if we launch all of them at the same time, we will be able to shake off their tractor beam for just long enough to make the jump to hyperspace."

Leia nodded. It was a desperate last minute plan, but the circumstances were right.

"But, admiral?" a call came from a crewman. "What about the rest of the fleet?"

Leia turned toward the viewport, in time to see the Super Star Destroyer begin to open fire on the rebel ships, thousands of green bolts lancing out from the destroyers's millions of turbolaser, and point defense turrets.

Moments later, Leia watched as a tendril of fire shot out from one of the rebel cruisers, as its lights flickered out and it slowly began to drift out of control to the planet.

Ackbar shook his head in a small motion. "It's too late for them." He said quietly. "We must survive this battle, and report what has happened here to the Republic High council."

Leia nodded in agreement. "We await your direction, admiral."

Ackbar slowly gathered himself, and then carefully sat in the admirals chair. "Launch all escape pods on my mark." Leia slowly inhaled a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Mark." He said slowly. Leia nodded, as all around her the crew launched ever available escape pod. They all shot out, instantly becoming trapped in the Star Destroyer's tractor beam, soaring towards the Imperial fleet.

And for one sweet moment, they were free.

Already both of the Rebel ships had all been destroyed. By the two Star Destroyers that had recently arrived in the system. They had finally take notice of the small Nebulon-B, and realizing that it was not trapped in any beam, had begun to open fire on the ship.

"Go!" Leia shouted. Already the escape pods had been bunched together in a group a distance from their ship, and there was no doubt that the tractor beam was already bearing down on them again, prepared to lock the Nebulon-B in its grip of death.

But it was too late for the Empire, and with one last sigh of relief from Leia, the stars turned into starlines, as they safely made it into hyperspace.

 ***Whew* This was, as chapter's go, a harder one to write, so tell me if you liked it, or despised it, or even if you don't care. Thanks for reading.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Author notes: I have not added any chapters in a while, however, new chapters will start to arrive more and more as I have made a few changes to the plot. Furthermore, I have decided to change some previous elements of the story, so I will be adding new chapters and taking out a few old ones.**

 **Enjoy.**


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